MULTICULTURAL & MULTITALENTED

Prior to launching Lerma, Pete led Click Here, a very successful digital agency that has done innovative work for brands like Amstel Light, Chick-fil-A, Casio, Patrón and Travelocity. Pete is the quintessential digital native. However, being a second-generation Mexican-American, Pete has also kept a pulse on his native culture, and he’s intent on raising the bar in Hispanic marketing as well.

Having spent the last 14 years in one of the best agencies in America, Pete is now taking the approaches he’s learned and applying them to Lerma. His vision is to create a more relevant connection between brands and their Hispanic consumers. In that capacity, Pete leads a team of seasoned Hispanic marketing experts that makes up Lerma. In a relatively short period of time, the team has done remarkable work for clients such as Advance Auto Parts, MetroPCS, The Home Depot and Ram Trucks.

Don’t be fooled. While Aldo may appear to be a pretty laid-back guy, behind the smile and glasses is a creative drive and intensity that he unleashes on every account he leads. He holds titles (ADCOLOR Legend Award, three-time Creative Director of the Year, Chairman of the Association of Hispanic Advertising Agencies) and awards (the first Mexican to win a Cannes Lion, the Grand Award at the New York Festivals and an induction into the AAF’s Hall of Achievement^®) that most creatives dream of.

Despite these accolades, he keeps pushing the thinking forward, as he still feels that his best ideas are the ones he’s working on right now – or has yet to create. Most of this can be attributed to his upbringing in Cuernavaca, Mexico, the “City of Eternal Spring” – eternal being the keyword. He brings to Lerma his passion for unearthing unique insights, as well as an endless quest for great ideas. And his shiny awards, because he gets to keep those.

There are your garden-variety planners. And then there’s Quim. The true essence of the Renaissance man. A spirit forged through the experience acquired in the most respected agencies, the most crowded music stages, and the tiniest kitchens. Born in Spain, he started his advertising and consulting career at a young age, and worked for McCann-Erickson, Added Value, Ogilvy & Mather, and Synovate, to name a few. Fluent in four languages, he’s the archetype of multiculturalism, which he has widely demonstrated through his work for Bud Light, Danone, Huggies, Unilever, and many others on both sides of the ocean.

His love for food competes only with his love for music. So you know, he’ll cook for you for a couple of tickets to ACL, SXSW, Coachella…

Born and raised in Mexico City, Salma deftly blends the organized approach of a brand manager with the fluidity and expression of an artist. Not surprising, considering that in another life she was a modern dancer and still retains her creative identity through abstract photography. Her adventurous spirit has guided her through many twists and turns on both the agency and client sides. She relishes the freedom and experimentation allowed in agency life and brings her unique blend of solution-oriented processes to Lerma.

Salma’s extensive cross-category multicultural agency experience includes leading and growing the business for major brands such as Procter & Gamble, Levi’s, Southwest Airlines, JCPenney, Frito Lay, and Gatorade. She joined Hispanic agency Dieste at its inception and played a key role in growing the agency over her 14-year tenure. The secret to her success is her relentless commitment to building and strengthening alliances among agency, partners, and the client – even across different cultures.

David is a truly renaissance man with diverse interests and passions. He is a constant traveler and an explorer of cities and their peoples. He has published poetry, short stories and essays here and there. His love of music is boundless, playing and listening to things as random as 17th century cantatas, contemporary German pop and reggaeton, with no shame and equal zest. He was a tennis instructor in college and still plays tennis at every chance. He’s considered an authority on classical and post-modern ballet history. And random, useless facts just stick to him like glitter, making him an uncanny partner in Trivia Pursuit.

He began his career in advertising after earning his degree in communications. But he took that path only after bouncing around a bit from studying music and architecture, to playing guitar with a Honky Tonk band in West Texas, to honing his cooking skills in a couple of kitchens across the Southwest.

The advertising world has been his life for over two decades and he was part of two of the largest holding companies in the industry where he collaborated with extraordinarily talented colleagues, some with whom he has been friends for a lifetime. At Lerma, he leads our Mexico City agency, where he spends his time building our service offering and evangelizing on the ways of Lerma.

Although always the quintessential account guy, bow tie and grey flannel suit included, a natural diplomat, and the epitome of grace-under- pressure, he has spearheaded strategy, research and new business initiatives and even written a few ads.

Although not born in Texas, he’s been wearing cowboy boots religiously since the 6th grade, which makes him, at minimum, an honorary Texan. When, rather rarely, he’s not in meetings or on a plane, he’s been seen wandering around Dallas with a guitar in one hand and his young daughter in the other. Lately though, there have been confirmed sightings of him following a mysterious woman he is rumored to have married not too long ago.

Before finding an enduring place at LERMA/, Francisco left quite a few pins on the map. From career stops in Mexico City to earning a degree at The University of Texas, then to more agency work in Dallas, then to (why not?) Madrid to earn an MBA in sports management from Universidad Europa de Madrid. At this point, despite his wishes to take over the management of his favorite team, Real Madrid CF, it was back to Mexico City to build his own agency. The agency was eventually acquired by Publicis Groupe. This meant one more move back to Dallas to work at Dieste, where he won multiple digital awards, including recognition from Cannes, before finally landing on solid (and lasting, we hope) footing at LERMA/. 

At LERMA/, Francisco has used his global digital acumen to help brands such as Dr Pepper, MetroPCS (Metro By T-Mobile) and Avocados From Mexico tell their stories. For the little green fruit, he has led the Digital Strategy for 5 consecutive Digital Super Bowl campaigns – each time earning top honors for brand buzz and increased purchase intent. 

Besides Real Madrid, he is also a loyal follower of the Texas Longhorns and Dallas Cowboys football.  

While those are the teams of men he roots for, they pale in comparison to the women in his life, daughter Mila and his wife, Christine.

As a teenager, Jon veered briefly into the complex world of rock music. This did not suit Jon, mostly because, well, it didn’t pay. At all.

Chasing the finer things in life – like a paycheck – Jon graduated from the University of Oklahoma and quickly migrated back south, where he started his storied career in advertising. Jon has spent nearly 2 decades serving national brands like The Salvation Army, Fruit of the Loom, Lifeway, Interstate Batteries, The Dallas Cowboys, and many more. 

It’s ironic that a paycheck was the “carrot at the end of the stick” that led Jon into advertising, as his expertise has mostly landed within the nonprofit sector. As a brand management principal, he’s developed specific expertise in marketing transformation using advanced analytics, social media ecommerce strategies and digital fundraising. Jon has also used these skills to help hundreds (yes, 100’s) of medium-sized and large faith-based organizations with everything from brand identity to their fundraising strategies. Amen to that. 

Jon is proud to join the LERMA/ Agency team as a principal, bringing his expertise and a handful of clients with him. He looks forward to securing LERMA/’s footing as an omnicultural marketing powerhouse while continuing to serve and grow a virtuous portfolio. 

Jon is also a church elder and a board member for Stronger Women, a nonprofit serving survivors of domestic violence. He also founded Us For Them, an organization that encourages people to consider living kidney donation.

Jon married his former media planner, a woman by the name of Jenilee. And yes, she took his last name, making her full name (wait for it) Jenilee Lee. Say it out loud – it’s more fun that way. Together, the Lees fill what’s left of their time raising their two lovely children, Maren and Benton. No word yet on whether either of them will pursue a career in rock music.