So this has to be my favorite blog post I’ve written here so far…
I’m thrilled to announce our team has grown by three brand new, super awesome, offensively talented people – bringing the tally up to 10 for our merry band of misfits and growing. (…I was employee #4 back in November. Holy crap!)
Fellow startupers know just how exciting it is when that allusive A-player says yes to your job offer, so you can imagine that happening times three. I was inspired by our friends at Raven Tools, an internet marketing software company, who creatively introduced their new ones with the Proust questionnaire, so I wanted to continue that unique trend and let you get to know Joseph, Ginny and Chad a little better. Here. We. Go:
Joseph Kibe – Data Scientist
Processing data from more than 270 million people each month means we’re certainly a big data company, and Data Scientist Joseph Kibe is up for the challenge of analyzing and categorizing all those great numbers. He previously worked as a Data Scientist for MyEnergy and graduated from Bates College. He’s also a total foodie and I always enjoy his critiques of our weekly team lunches :)
1. What is your idea of perfect happiness?
JK: A really good loaf of bread.
2. What is the trait you most deplore in others?
JK: Tackiness. An inability to speak coherently is an extremely close second.
3. What is your greatest extravagance?
JK: The grand piano I will one day purchase.
4. What do you most value in your friends?
JK: Substance.
5. What is your most treasured possession?
JK: My human capital.
6. Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
JK: Probably “probably”.
7. Which talent would you most like to have?
JK: I regret not studying chemistry more.
8. What is your most marked characteristic?
JK: The random bits of information that my brain inadvertently retains about esoteric subjects.
9. What is your motto?
JK: “Optimize for the present being mindful of the future”. There’s economic theory to back that up.
10. Who is your hero in real life?
JK: Some bizarre amalgamation of Hal Varian, Hilary Hahn and Bill Gates.
Such an interesting and smart guy, huh? Get to know him better and follow Joseph on Twitter.
Ginny Soskey – Marketing Manager
I’m so proud to introduce you to our new Marketing Manager, Ginny Soskey. You’ve surely already seen Ginny’s great work on this here blog. She’s also the enthusiastic voice behind our Twitter and Facebook, answering any and all Shareaholic questions you may have and filling your feeds and streams with awesome content. Ginny graduated from Boston University’s PR program, where she was the PRSSA president and honed her digital marketing skills with internships at Fleishman-Hillard, Solomon McCown and Mastro Communications. More from Ginny herself:
1. What is your idea of perfect happiness?
GS: It’s pretty contradictory. I picture me relaxing outside on the Esplanade while I simultaneously watch back-to-back seasons of the Bachelorette. Trash TV and nature: that is my heaven.
2. What is the trait you most deplore in others?
GS: A floppy handshake. If someone looks me in the eye, confidently says hello and firmly (but not too firmly) shakes my hand, I am in awe. I generally dislike handshakes like dead fish.
3. What is your greatest extravagance?
GS: Running shoes. I feel that if you are going to commit the effort to working out, your feet should be as comfortable as possible. I’m a firm believer that the cheaper running shoes will ultimately hurt your feet or body, so I always try to go for the best.
4. What do you most value in your friends?
GS: Persistence. Everyone is busy. Everyone is tired. Everyone doesn’t have time for anything. I get it. My closest friends have understood that everyone is busy, but have still persisted in trying to make the friendship work. Everybody needs a friend that bugs them to stop watching the Bachelorette and come out.
5. What is your most treasured possession?
GS: I have three rings from some of the people I care most about. One from my parents–My dad gave it to my mom when I was born, and she gave it to me on my 18th birthday. One from my sister–she gave it to me one year at Christmas and I have worn it ever since. One from my boyfriend–he spent days molding it by hand out of a silver quarter.
6. Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
GS: I say fabulous to describe pretty much everything. Oh, you got a new job? That’s fabulous. Great tickets for the Celtics game? That’s fabulous. The entire collection of America’s Next Top Model on DVD? That’s really fabulous. It allows me to be sassy and excited simultaneously.
7. Which talent would you most like to have?
GS: To speak another language fluently. I am always deeply impressed with those who can speak more than one language–I don’t know if my brain is wired for that. I can understand most of what people say in Spanish, but I’d love to be able to respond eloquently instead of my usual stuttering.
8. What is your most marked characteristic?
GS: Probably my smile. The combination of too many teeth for one mouth and a tendency to laugh at most jokes makes for an interesting existence. It’s fun for me, though!
9. What is your motto?
GS: To be constantly filled with wonder for the world around me. The world is a truly amazing place, so I will never be done learning.
10. Who is your hero in real life?
GS: My parents–I can’t pick one. My mom taught me to be a strong, independent woman who is not defined by stereotypes. My dad has inspired me to never take anything for granted and always work hard to get what you want. I don’t know where I’d be without them!
Isn’t she great? Follow Ginny on Twitter and get to know her more.
Chad Mazzola – Director of Product Design
I’m very excited to introduce you to our new Director of Product Design, Chad Mazzola! Chad is very talented. Look at that portfolio. Yup. Chad’s here to make Shareaholic products much more useful, fun to use, and a whole lot prettier of course. Chad previously worked at thoughtbot, creating products like Trajectory. Learn more about Chad:
1. What is your idea of perfect happiness?
CM: I can’t think of a better description than the one Rousseau gave: “If there is a state where the soul can find a resting-place secure enough to establish itself and concentrate its entire being there, with no need to remember the past or reach into the future, where time is nothing to it, where the present runs on indefinitely but this duration goes unnoticed, with no sign of the passing of time, and no other feeling of deprivation or enjoyment, pleasure or pain, desire or fear than the simple feeling of existence, a feeling that fills our soul entirely, as long as this state lasts, we can call ourselves happy, not with a poor, incomplete and relative happiness such as we find in the pleasures of life, but with a sufficient, complete and perfect happiness which leaves no emptiness to be filled in the soul.”
2. What is the trait you most deplore in others?
CM: Incuriousness about people and things that are unusual.
3. What is your greatest extravagance?
CM: Talk to me after the IPO.
4. What do you most value in your friends?
CM: The tendency to spend too much on food and plane tickets.
5. What is your most treasured possession?
CM: My memory of time spent with interesting people in interesting places.
6. Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
CM: “Just.”
7. Which talent would you most like to have?
CM: NBA-quality basketball skills.
8. What is your most marked characteristic?
CM: My love of forestry.
9. What is your motto?
CM: “You only live twice.”
10. Who is your hero in real life?
CM: People who live their lives without looking to others for permission or approval. (For example: bizarre people on the T.)
That’s Chad! Connect with Chad on Twitter.
Work With Us!
We’re so happy to have three new people on our team, and we’re looking for more. So, if you’re interested in building a product that reaches more than 270 million people each month and joining a rockstar team that’s backed by some pretty awesome investors, holler at us!