five in five with dave behm, senior art director

Dave Behm’s first job was at a hardware store, so his new role as a senior art director at Interrupt is fittingly full circle: he's now back working with the building materials industry, this time as a designer and creative.

The Chicago native was the focus of this month’s Five in Five* interview, sharing with us what he misses most about the Windy City and why he thinks all of us are capable of running marathons. We refute this claim, of course.

Italian beefs. It’s hard to describe this type of sandwich—it’s hot beef, marinated in Italian seasonings and put on a sub bun with peppers. You gotta have one. And the Cubs. I miss being in downtown Chicago, in Wrigleyville. I still get homesick when I watch a game. It’s funny though, I’ve grown to love Michigan and Ohio. You’re not stuck in traffic, people are calmer, and it’s quieter in a way that I like.

When I was a kid, I was more interested in the packaging the toys came in than the actual toys. We would drive down the street and I’d be looking at all the signs and logos. Growing up, I knew that I wanted to do that for a living, so I went to design school and dived in.

My first job as a sixteen-year-old was at True Value Hardware. I’ve always had a passion for this world, for learning how to build things. My wife and I are avid watchers of HGTV. It was a great fit that an opportunity at Interrupt came up. And now I have lots of colleagues who are also DIY-ing, so plenty of people to consult on my next project for our entryway.

The Red Hot Chili Peppers, for sure. Music is one of my most favorite things. You could give me any genre and I’d have an artist I like.

I have competed in six marathons, a sprint triathalon, plus three Tough Mudder events. I like fitness. A lot of times people think they can’t do something like a marathon. But I believe if you really, truly want to accomplish something, and you have the means to do it, you will find a way. You can accomplish anything you put your mind to.

*Five in Five is where we catch up with an Interrupter to ask five questions in five minutes. It may have taken us (way) longer than five minutes to have this conversation. But it shouldn’t take you longer than five minutes to read it, so we think it still counts.