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After serving 4 years in the Pacific during WWII, Robert Greenwood attended
the Rhode Island School of Design on the GI Bill, and graduated in 1950 with a
degree in Commercial Art. He started Greenwood Associates in 1954.

 

Through the 1950's and 60's Bob sold printing by day and
freelanced graphic design at night. He built a dedicated
client base which included Brown and Sharpe and Federal Products.

 

 

Dorothy Greenwood, his wife (fellow RISD grad, illustrator and college sweetheart)
began keeping Bob's books while also raising 4 kids (and painting portraits).


In the late 60's Bob moved out of the basement to East Providence, first renting
an office at the Narragansett Paper Company and then settling on Waterman Avenue.

Their eldest daughter, Betsy, joined Bob and Dot in 1979
after working for several years as the manager and advertising
designer for The Outdoorsman on Providence's East Side.

 

Bob and Betsy were a fabulous team. Bob had a deep respect for his daughter's talent and
Betsy soaked up his print production and design knowledge. She called him "the big guy"
and they laughed all the time. And their clients loved them.


It was during this time that Greenwood Associates began many of their long-lasting
relationships with several non-profit organizations - several of which continue to this day.

Chil Mott joined the team in 1992 as a freelance illustrator and soon became a
steady contributor in design as well. He became the defacto computer expert,
mastering the Macintosh LC II and every Apple iteration since.

Bob retired from design in 1997 but continued to sell printing for E.A.Johnson -
providing many reasons to visit (along with Dotty) Betsy and Chil often.



Betsy designed and built her dream studio on her property in Tiverton and moved
Greenwood Associates to Peaceful Way. Betsy and Chil continued to build
their client base - developing a great reputation for their original, beautiful style
of communication design for hospitals, colleges and other non-profits.



 

On what can only be descibed as our darkest day, Betsy passed away in 2003.
Rick Schwartz, long time friend and former communications director at the
RI Foundation, eloquently summed up how many of Betsy's client's felt.

"When I first joined the RI Foundation 10 years ago, I "inherited" Betsy Greenwood. Running the business Greenwood Associates with her father Bob and later with graphic artist Chil Mott, Betsy had been designing the Foundation's publications since 1980, nearly half her life. I quickly grew to love betsy's creativity and imagination, as well as her personal integrity, sense of fun, and calm. The ten or fifteen percent of our converstaions which had nothing to do with work were as wonderful as all those which did. Betsy did this summer at age 49 form a cnacer which she never let own her, through the decade or longer she fought it. Betsy was spiritual but not necessarily sentimental, so she didn't say goodbye, but simply left one night. So let me be the one to say goodbye, betsy, and thank you. We'll miss you." Rick Scwartz, Editor

 




Having worked at Greenwood Associates since I was old enough to hold a mat knife
(and with a degree from RISD) I joined Chil in carrying on Greenwood Associates.
We incorporated the new name, "Greenwood Associates Design, Inc." in 2003.

 

In 2006 we moved to Middletown, RI where we remain today. We are extremely blessed
to have many of the same clients Betsy and Bob had so many years ago-including
RI KidsCount, Boston Children's Hospital, the NFPA and the Rhode Island Foundation.





Photo by Jacqueline Marque for Apartment Therapy

Please feel free to drop in or drop us a line.
Stories about Bob and Betsy most welcome.

Thank you,

Gail Greenwood and Chil Mott

 




In loving memory of Bob, Dot and Betsy.