new adventures

Nine years ago I packed everything I owned into my Pontiac Grand Am and made way from Delaware to  Denver, Colorado. I had no job, no place to live and no friends, but I was ready for a new adventure. A few months later, I was hired by Tri-State G&T, despite not having any knowledge or experience in the world of electric co-ops. It was a whole new world for me and I was ready to jump in with both feet – and I did. And the adventure began.

Nine years later, I look back on my time at the G&T and the only thing I can really do is smile – a huge ridiculous toothy grin that nearly brings tears to my eyes. The challenges. The opportunities. The growth. The new experiences. The travel to some of my favorite places in the U.S. The co-op world. And, last but certainly not least, the people.

Tri-State isn’t just a place where I have spent my working hours for the past nine years – it’s my home away from home. It’s the place where I spent some grueling hours with a fantastic project team creating an intranet for which we won a national award. It’s the place where I learned how to be a project manager and a leader. It’s the place where I was given the opportunity to hire a ridiculously talented team of people who have become like family to me. It’s the place where I failed and learned many lessons. It’s the place where I learned not to be afraid of difficult decisions and to go with my gut. It’s the place where I discovered my love of the digital workplace and the employee experience. It’s the place where I learned more about myself than all of the other 20-some odd years combined.

With all that being said though, a place is just a place. When I think back on all of those experiences, it’s really all about the people. And that’s what I’ll miss most about leaving in a month – the people. Some of the kindest, smartest and most generous I’ve ever known.

To say I’m grateful for my time at Tri-State would be an understatement. The past nine years have transformed me and there’s really nothing I can say that captures the enormity of that. The decision to leave was one of the most difficult I’ve ever made. But, as I prepare to close this chapter of my life and move on to something new, I am comforted by the fact that despite leaving the company, the things that are most important – the people – will continue to have a presence in my life. Of that I’ll make certain. Because at the end of day, that’s what it’s really about – the people. And, I’ll be forever grateful for the people of Tri-State G&T because they are truly some of the world’s best.