Big Time Under the Big Top

StrataCore hosted their Annual Holiday Party under the big top of Teatro ZinZanni this weekend followed by an overnight stay at Willows Lodge, and it was truly spectacular! Amidst a dazzling display of incredible talent from the cast and crew, we ate, drank, and made merry, while recognizing key members of our team that exemplified the values we hold dear and make StrataCore a truly exceptional company to work for and be a client at.

Our first value is to Be Exceptional. What does this mean? It means our attention to detail is second to none. It means we’re rarely satisfied, and we recruit, hire, develop and retain the very best people. We think big and insist on the highest standards. And no matter what, we always bring our best-self. Being exceptional is an extremely high standard and it is the baseline necessary to work at StrataCore. This year, we celebrated Kayleigh Knox for this award, and it couldn't have been more spot on! Kayleigh’s attention to detail is remarkable. With no drama, she brings order to chaos and handles sensitive money issues with grace and compassion. Congratulations Kayleigh!!

Our second value is to Solve Problems. Solving problems is about taking personal ownership. We identify gaps and proactively move things forward regardless of obstacles. We loudly own our mistakes and accept them as learning opportunities. Solving Problems has a bias towards action. We quickly bring projects to completion. We make the complex simple. We innovate and we seek out best practices. Anyone working at StrataCore would be hard pressed to find someone that exemplified this value more than this year's winner, Justin Swanberg! Justin is always seeking out ways to make sure we're as efficient and effective as possible. He doesn't just sit back and wait for a problem to arise - he actively seeks out areas for improvement so that things don't rise to the level of being called a problem. Congratulations Justin!

Our third value is to Have Fun! Having Fun is about being a great place to work. It doesn’t mean we’re smiling all the time. It means we’re Team First, authentic, respectful, and we show up with a positive mindset. We look for ways to help. And we work hard to make our culture stronger and better. Being Team First is about stepping up when it matters. And it ALWAYS matters. It's so critical because without Team First we can’t Have Fun. Being great place to work is very important. Most companies don’t get it right, and selfishly, we don’t want to work at a company that sucks. We want to be at a place where we believe in our teammates, and we believe in both our why and our how.

So, when needed, we apologize quickly. We defend our culture and we aggressively support each other. We’re transparent because we have nothing to hide. We build trust, because we know that a great culture is the foundation of success. This year's Have Fun StrataValue winner is none other than Jeremie Yoder! Jeremie is the best example of someone who is authentic and respectful with a positive mindset. He’s always Team First and a true defender of our culture. He not only shows up as the ways defined above, he also makes it easy for others to show up the same way, which ultimately helps our whole team live this value. Thanks for helping to make StrataCore such a fun place to come to every day Jeremie!

Our fourth value is to Advocate Fiercely! Advocating Fiercely is about making StrataCore the best place to be a client.

Let’s be honest, most of the time, the client experience is painful. Too many vendors mislead, over-charge and they don’t understand customer service. Do a quick Yelp review and you’ll see that many suppliers earn just 1-3 stars. We can help fix this.

We know that if we don’t deliver for our clients, then someone else will. So, when it’s needed, we advocate fiercely. Other times we advocate with compassion. Either way, the client experience is always front of mind.

In addition to external clients, we are also extremely mindful knowing that we all have internal clients. These clients are our teammates at StrataCore. So we work hard to anticipate needs. And when we drop a ball for any client, we apologize and we pick it back up. Please help us celebrate our Advocate Fiercely StrataValue winner, Charise Addicks! We’ve never seen anyone fight for her clients harder than Charise. She constantly pushes to be her client’s best possible partner. She also advocates our internal team. We absolutely love the positive and team-first mentality that radiates from her. Congratulations Charise!

Our fifth value is to Deliver Results. What does Delivering Results mean? It means we exceed the expectations of our job. It means we take full accountability and own our responsibilities, mistakes, and objectives. We pursue the Gold Standard. We hold ourselves and each other accountable, especially when it’s difficult. And Deliver Results means our contributions are measurable and meaningful. For this award, we had a tie! Our two winners also received awards for other values above, which just goes to show you how valuable they are to StrataCore and our culture. Congratulations again to Kayleigh Knox and Charise Addicks!

Last, but certainly not least was a 2019 StrataCore MVP Award! Our MVP award is the peak combination of: Be Exceptional, Solve Problems, Have Fun, Advocate Fiercely, and Deliver Results.

Our values are how we build a better life for our clients, our teammates, our partners, ourselves and our families. We do this, to help build a better life for those who matter most. Please congratulate our two MVP winners this year, Emiko Pond and Nichole Thornes!

We seriously can’t say enough good things about Emiko. She is such a hard worker and her attention to detail and commitment to delivering the gold standard no matter what, truly sets the bar for what it looks like to be all-in, every-day. She works incredibly hard, under immense pressure and still finds the time to help out in other areas of the business, in very meaningful ways. Simply put, she makes everything better.

Nichole embodies all our values in their truest form and without caveat. Gold Standard is only the starting point for everything she does. Her attitude through the ups and downs is incredibly inspiring. She is kind, generous, warm and caring 100% of the time. We have not come across many people in our lives like Nichole and are extremely grateful for her contributions.

Congratulations to all of the winners! You are the reason StrataCore truly is the BEST place to work!