Hi Everyone,
Happy 11th Anniversary!!! Hard to believe for me sometimes. I have so many great memories, the ups, the downs, the changes, the unexpected but most of all memories and moments working with each of you. We have wonderful clients, many of whom I consider friends and will have lifetime relationships with. When I think about all the really Smart & Happy people that have been a part of Tahzoo, I experience so much joy and a sense of purpose. The homes purchased, the marriages, the babies born, and the careers grown are all part of the fabric that make this company great.
We have 8 awards this year, MVP, Rookie of the year, Smart and Happy, Voice of the Culture, Outstanding Achievement (3), and the CEO Award for Excellence. What I love about our award system at Tahzoo is that they are democratic as voted on by your peers and leaders.
I am pleased to announce the winners for 2021!
MVP – Dara Keo
Dara demonstrates the values of Tahzoo every day. He’s so consistent in his performance, his dedication to each of you and to our clients. I am inspired by Dara, I see him spreading excellence throughout the company. Truly the most valuable person at Tahzoo, I don’t know what we’d do without him. One of the greatest pleasures of my career has been getting to know Dara and see him become the man and the leader that he is today.
Rookie of the Year – Jerome Drew
This company is full of Smart people who know how to have an impact. Jerome is one of those exceptional people who has immediately become a difference maker. Figuring out Tahzoo is no small task, we do complex work for challenging clients, Jerome has demonstrated the leadership and technical acumen that has his peers and clients talking about him. Jerome is a rising star at Tahzoo.
Smart and Happy – Heather Broxson
Each year we all vote for someone who consistently brightens our day, that’s Heather. The way she brings joy and enthusiasm on the Monday/Friday call has been delightful. Spearheading our Zoodio business, her interviewing style brings out the best in people. Her creative talents shine through in everything she does, we are all so fortunate to have her as the standard bearer for our teams.
Voice of the Culture Award – Fletch Padgett
Talk about someone who everyone wants to work with, that’s Fletch. Got a problem? Need a hand? Want to know when the going gets tough you’ll have someone at your side? 1-800 Call Fletch. The volume of comments and kudos about Fletch from all of you has been remarkable. Working with a really difficult client this last year, still finding time to work on the software business and taking the time to explain GraphQL to all of us luddites, Fletch has been Tahzoo’s go-to team member. Not that we haven’t said it enough in the VOC but on behalf of all of Tahzoo … Thank you Fletch.
Outstanding Achievement Awards – Bryan Fitch, Sarah Braumiller & Meng Wang
This award is for people in the company who demonstrated superior performance against the top three priorities of the company, Customer Service, Quality Work and Profitability. The recipients of this award are recognized by the Leadership Team as outstanding Tahzooers who should be the example for all of us.
Bryan Fitch – The quality of Bryan’s work is beyond outstanding, it’s world class creative. He is pushing the boundaries of experience design, innovating around Zoodio and bringing to life our clients’ vision of the future. In addition to great work, Bryan has built amazing relationships at Deloitte and with Chiba San at Lumielina. Bryan is a fountain of creativity and positivity that seems unbounded, he makes Tahzoo great.
Sarah Braumiller – Sarah is one of the most widely respected developers at Tahzoo. Her work is consistently excellent, not only is she great at what she does, she makes everyone around her better. Her engineering rigor thought leadership and client relationships should be admired by everyone in the company. For those of you who have worked on Deloitte, you know winning Steven Ridley’s trust is very high bar … Sarah has become Steven’s trusted advisor.
Meng Wang – Rob Comerford the Chief Knowledge Officer at Deloitte, called me a few weeks ago to tell me about how much he and his entire team enjoy working with Meng and what a great job she is doing on the project. The amazing thing about Meng is her tireless dedication, willingness to learn new things and pursuit of excellence seems to be growing over time. When we first interviewed her, Gabi and I both knew right away that she was Smart and Happy and that we needed to find a role for her no matter what. Always willing to learn a new technology or lend a helping hand to a colleague, it has been my great pleasure to see her mature as a consultant and leader at Tahzoo.
CEO Excellence Award – John Le
This year we are adding a new award, the CEO Excellence Award. This Award is for the person who I think most exemplifies the values of Tahzoo and who sets the highest standard of excellence. I often say that John Le is the best manager I have ever worked with… He’s tough but fair, he expects the best from his people and genuinely cares about them. His attention to detail is phenomenal – I’ve never received a report, a recommendation, or a comment from him that wasn’t well thought through and factually based. He has a great eye for innovation and changes in the technology market which has kept and will keep Tahzoo at the forefront of Managed Services, Dev ops, Cloud Computing and Security. I have tremendous respect for John and his leadership skills. He makes Tahzoo great!!!
While it’s been a challenging year, you’ve stood fast and done great work, taken care of your clients and one another. I am so proud of all of you. The road ahead looks promising – each of you have a fantastic opportunity to build a future for yourself and for our clients, Thank you for all that you do!!!
Let’s go be great!
Brad