S9er of the Quarter is Slide Nine’s recognition program that honors exceptional work. Each quarter, the Slide Nine team nominates employees who have gone above and beyond and the chosen winner is rewarded with a bonus or extra PTO day and bragging rights. 

Congratulations to Account Executive Jesse Burke for being awarded S9er of the Quarter for Q4 2025! Jesse brings a curious and thoughtful approach to his work. He’s recently driven the success of everything from celebrating major milestones for community partnerships to launching buzzworthy, creative out-of-home campaigns, consistently exploring new ways to make our work fun, engaging, and effective.

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Get to Know Jesse

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1. Describe yourself in nine words.

Intuitive, Laid-back, Open-minded, Versatile, Empathetic, Realistic, Early, Blue-eyed, Analytical.

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2. What are you proudest of accomplishing in the past quarter? 

The past quarter was jam-packed with partnerships and event activations. From launching a forestry careers program with a local elementary school to planning the rollout of a partnership with an NFL player (I won’t say who dey are), these last few weeks brought many exciting new opportunities. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed taking the lead on these projects and helping create meaningful MarComms moments for our clients.

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3. What challenges at work inspire you the most?

If you know me, you know I love creating a well-crafted slide deck, so any challenge that involves that is an instant win in my book. Bonus points if I’m able to combine my analytical skills with creative thinking to present data in a meaningful way.

I also look forward to any opportunity to collaborate with our passionate and savvy team members on the Slide Nine team.

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4. What do you do to relax and recharge outside of work hours?

My 2025 New Year's resolution was to walk or run 10,000 steps every day, and that’s been a great way to clear my mind. I also started collecting vinyl records this year, so you can often find me in a local record shop after work browsing the shelves for my next favorite listen.

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5. What’s your go-to coffee order?

To be completely honest, I’m not the biggest coffee drinker… but if I have to order something, my go-to is a vanilla iced latte. 

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6. What do you plan to do with your bonus or extra PTO day? 

A trip to the Big Apple this Christmas. 

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7. What’s your favorite Slide Nine memory?

It’s hard to pick just one, but I have to say getting to hand-feed a giraffe, a moose and two baby reindeer at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium with our Trim to Treat partnership is one of my all-time favorite memories.

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8. If you could spend nine days anywhere in the world, where would you travel?

If I only had nine days, I would try to make the most of every moment in Europe. A long-standing item on my bucket list has been attending Oktoberfest, so I’d love to kick off my trip with the first four days in Munich, Germany, sampling the world-famous, uh, “cuisine.” I would then put my high school Italian to good use and explore as much of Rome, Venice, and the Amalfi Coast as I could in four days. Finally, I’d wrap up my trip on the black sand beaches of Greece to relax and recharge before heading home. 

9. Who is your favorite social media creator?

Without a doubt, it’s @washdnr. 

Whether you’re an outdoorsy person or not (like me), it’s a great resource for inspiration — and a good laugh. 

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