November of 2010, I walked into Thirty-One Gifts as a contractor. They were in need of a web designer, and thanks to a friend, I was recommended for the job. I was nervous, unsure, and completely clueless as to how my first REAL web job was going to go. I was the first “official” web designer for the company, and the pressure was on. But after 2 months of contracting, they finally offered me a full-time job in January 2010 and it has been an adventure ever since.
Thirty-One offered me a chance to grow and develop. I’ve seen a lot of people come and go, but not one person left without making an impact on my life/career. For all those people, I’m extremely grateful. I’ve had the chance to work on some really big projects, and push my limits with some extraordinary challenges. The all nighters publishing new catalogs, weekends preparing for outlet sales, and much much more.
What made it all endurable was the team. For most of my time at Thirty-One, I worked under Bryan Huber, who crafted a talented team with some of the best minds in the industry. Some of the most notable experiences were late Friday evenings having round-robin music sessions with the team, or early morning waffles with broken waffle irons. All week National Conferences in Atlanta, and entertaining conferences like Exact Target in Indiana. The memories are endless.
After some time, I was given a chance to promote to Thirty-One’s (former)sister company, Jewell – which is now a product line under Thirty-One. There, I met co-workers that I now consider to be close friends and trusted colleagues. We had our fair share of long days and busy nights but we all worked close together. Some of the best moments were hijacking open computers and sending random emails from an open Outlook, to creating life size murals of our PM, John Jolley, all the way to eating at Route 62 BBQ and drinking endless amounts of coffee at the local coffee shops. Our weight loss challenges, that Brent ALWAYS won and our team walks around the company. These are all of my favorite memories, and it has been a pleasure to work with you.
Lastly, I want to express my endless gratitude for your support during my deployment. Receiving routine care packages from some great people and especially the awesome shout-out video. I’m still coming down from all the Monsters that Ham sent me. The deployment was by far the hardest event in my life for both me and my family. But having great co-workers and friends at Thirty-One, greatly reduced the stress for my family back home and me overseas.
To sum it up, thank you Thirty-One for everything you’ve done for me these 4 years. I will miss my 45 minute drive to Easton (no, I won’t) – but I’ll definitely miss the company and the people. My wife will be sad that our house isn’t filled to the ceiling in totes and bags, but given my wife’s love for Thirty-One, rest assure I will miss that employee discount.
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