COUNTRY VS. TOWN: ANNA BARTZ

ANNA BARTZ is originally from Windsor, Wisconsin, a small town outside Madison. Her family wove deep ties into the fabric of the community. Her mom served as a teacher in the district and dad distinguished himself in business and as a hall of fame wrestling coach. While Anna did not wrestle, watching her father coach with consistent excellence was a huge influence on her own athletic pursuits.

She found success in track and field and ran at the University of Wisconsin, competing in the heptathlon. Anna gives a lighthearted primer on the heptathlon, “It’s essentially a celebration of mediocrity, meaning you’re okay at a few things, not an expert at any one event.” Men compete in 10 events (decathlon) and women compete in seven. Anna says, “Competing in the heptathlon in the Big Ten provided a crash course in bandwidth delegation, fortitude, and discipline that I refer to on the daily.”

After graduation from UW, she began her career in digital marketing in 2007 with shopbop, which had been acquired by Amazon at the time. “I was a merchandiser but quickly made the transition into the digital marketing sphere, including search, social, early affiliate marketing, and public relations, once that space began to pick up steam.”

A role with Weber Shandwick followed, where she worked on Got Milk?, Unilver, and Kraft accounts. Spending a wild number of hours building brands led to a lightbulb moment. She could utilize this skillset to further develop the brand her father grew from a two-person operation to a 13 site, three-country operation, EVCO Plastics.

Anna wrote a job description and pitched the idea of a marketing function. With the green light, she began building a communications function at EVCO 12 years ago. She currently works as VP of Communications and sit on the Board of Directors. Anna’s sister also circled back to EVCO a decade ago. She says, “Working together to continue our family’s legacy in a revitalized way as the third-generation ownership is incredibly rewarding and FUN! There are very few female owned and operated manufacturing businesses in our sector and we work diligently to provide an environment for women to grow and have a voice.”

Anna and her husband Dave moved to Hinsdale while expecting their oldest daughter, Samantha. Twins Daphne and Molly completed the family. The girls are very active in dance, soccer, and gymnastics. The family appreciates the incredible studios, clubs and programs that offer the girls opportunities for involvement and growth.

Anna is active in Hinsdale Junior Woman’s Club (HJWC), where she has chaired committees and led in executive board roles. She’s also a volunteer track coach at Hinsdale Central High School. Of this experience, she says, “Anyone who has been involved with athletics at some point in their life knows the role of a high school coach is one that extends far beyond the field of play. You are not just your athlete’s coach. You’re a mentor, you’re a leader, you’re a shoulder to cry on, you’re a friend. It’s a place in a teenager’s life I take very seriously, and I love seeing the young women I have the privilege to coach on the track go on and accomplish tremendous things off the track.”

Do you have a mantra? My dad used to say this to me all the time growing up when I would get hyper involved in too many things “Moderation in everything, except what you want to be good at.” On your reading stack? The Loves of Theodore Roosevelt: The Women Who Created a President, a very purposeful gift from my dad, aka the original girl dad. What’s your signature entertaining style? Lake house casual. It’s all about a signature cocktail happy hour while yacht rock plays in the background, bulk meals for the masses on the Blackstone, and pot-luck style dinners where everyone contributes. Any daily rituals that make you feel centered? Movement! I’m still a runner, but you couldn’t pay me to run a marathon. I opt for Peloton interval and bootcamp classes. Music you love? Anything with elevated beats per minute. The soundtrack to my life needs to help keep me pushing forward. Favorite autumn traditions? There’s nothing more Fall to me than football games at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison. Badger Athletics has been a constant for my family: my grandfather boxed, my father coached wrestling, and my sister was on the Dance Team.

WHEN IN THE COUNTRY

What’s your go-to outfit? I wear an absurd amount of black. Is there anything you can’t leave the house without? My Oura ring. Understanding recovery is just as important as tracking your total movement. Oura provides all the analytics you need to understand how much training your body is ready to take that day. Where do they know you by name? They call me Coach Bartz by the jumping pits at HCHS. Do you have a favorite memory of living in the area? When I was on the Executive Board of HJWC, we were challenged with hosting our annual benefit in the middle of dynamic COVID-19 restrictions. In the end, we executed a beautiful affair at Burdi Clothiers. Hosting HJWC’s premier event in Hinsdale proper made it extra special. If an ad agency asked you to write a commercial for your town, what would you say? Come for the schools, stay for the neighbors.

WHEN IN TOWN

Do you wear any outfits or accessories that like too much day to day but is perfect for the city? I wear very minimal jewelry and seldom swap out my handbag in my everyday life. Outings in the city provide an avenue to bring out archived bags passed down from my mom. What’s in that vintage bag? A hotel pen, AirPods, and 12 different lip products. I’m on the road a decent amount for work and you never know when you’ll need a fresh lip on a Teams call. View that never gets old? Walking through the Division Street tunnel to the Lakeshore Path and taking in view of the city waking up in the morning will forever make me pause for a moment and take it all in. Best quick bite or hidden gem? Sweet Bean in the South Loop. It’s a darling Taiwanese café that’s female owned, by one of my favorite mentees from Whitney Young. What is your favorite movie filmed or set in Chicago? Wayne’s World. Growing up, I never missed Saturday Night Live and even though several other movies have spun off from SNL characters, Wayne’s World has to be the most quotable.