Two Days, Two Wheels, and 202 Miles of Road

July 16, 2010 — aspeyer

STP LogoA train ride from Seattle to Portland takes three and a half hours. By car, you might find yourself at the City of Roses in three hours. By bicycle, it takes a little longer. Try two days.

Expect to see many intrepid cyclists attempting the ride this weekend, as the Cascade Bicycle Club’s 31st Annual Seattle to Portland Bicycle Classic (STP) begins on Saturday, July 17. Procare Team Manager Josh Dand is looking forward to being one of many who pedal their way through 202 miles of valleys, farmland, and mountains.

Dand’s biking journey didn’t begin with STP, which is expected to draw 10,000 cyclists.

“When I [worked in] Seattle, I never biked,” he said; but when he was transferred to Cobalt’s Lynnwood office, and his coworker, Senior Account Advocate Raul Sedano, invited him to take a bike ride. They started cycling together at lunchtime around Edmonds and Lynnwood, which inspired Dand to start biking to work. He now averages around 120 miles every week, riding four days out of five, enough to “recognize coworkers by their bike racks.”

“The 30 mile road trip is a great way to begin my day,” he said. “[I can] decompress and work off stress.” Bicycling has helped bring him closer to his officemates. Dand, Sedano, and fellow first-time STP rider Robert Allen will be doing the STP together. Sedano is a veteran of the event; this year marks his seventh STP ride!

Josh Dand and his bikeParticipating in the largest, multi-day bicycle event in the Northwest, sponsored by Group Health, seemed to be the natural next step to Dand.

“It’s something I wanted to do for past couple of years,” he said. “I can’t believe I’m about to do it; I’m feeling pretty well on my way. I just had a bike tune-up, got a new chain, and [my] legs are feeling strong, nice and spry now.”

Spots go quick, with cyclists from all over America and the world vying for entry. Dand got extremely lucky with late registration and “wasted five minutes of company time” waiting in a virtual line.

Those five minutes paid off, as he now prepares to start at 7:30am on Saturday at the University of Washington. He and Sedano plan to bike around 105 miles before settling in for the night at a Chehalis campground around five or six o’clock. Every ten miles, rest stops with free food, water, bathrooms, and bike repair will be available. Along the way the bicyclists will cross rivers, climb 30 miles of hills, and ride in the shadow of Mt. St Helens.

“You can’t see it in a car. [The STP] is like a party on wheels,” Dand said in anticipation for the scenic beauty of Western Washington countryside

On Sunday, they will cross the finish line at Holladay Park and possibly attend the Finish Line Festival is at the end of each ride-day. Sedano and Dand will either stay the night, or drive back to Seattle that evening.

Dand is a machine that doesn’t seem to ever stop running. When asked if he would relax at all after this superhuman feat, he mentioned a massage on Monday and a little rest, quickly adding that he hopes this event “leads to more.”

The next time you drive down to Portland on business, imagine Dand doing it the hard way and scaling the same distance on two wheels instead of four.

Good luck to all three this weekend. Have fun, guys!

Margaret Kahn
Guest Writer
The Cobalt Group
www.cobalt.com
www.twitter.com/CobaltMarketing
www.youtube.com/cobaltlive

The Cobalt Group

Posted in Cobalt Corporate Culture, Leadership, Tradition. Tags: , , , , . 1 Comment »

Cobalt’s President’s Club

May 17, 2010 — aspeyer

Each year Cobalt recognizes some of its best in the President’s Club, a selection of the best salespeople over the last year, and sends them to an exotic location. While there, they provide input into the company’s direction as well as relax and enjoy some well-earned luxury. For 2010, Cobalt sent 22 salespeople from both Cobalt and Dealix on a Hawaiian cruise in April, on the Pride of America cruise-liner. Two days of strategy workshops with executives were combined with recognition and recreation. Here are a few reactions from those who were there.

Cobalt President's Club 2010Bill, a Cobalt salesman based in the Seattle home office and a repeat President’s Club honoree, said “I am extremely fortunate to have made President’s Club four times and cruising the Hawaiian Islands was by far the best! Cobalt does a terrific job of making us feel appreciated, and the result is more focus and dedication. It’s also a great time to build relationships with other successful reps and company leadership… The Pride of America was awesome. They had to break down the door to my stateroom to get me off the boat.”

Cassie, a Dealix saleswoman, also enjoyed her experience. “Being a part of this year’s President’s Club was an honor and an experience I will never forget,” she said. “My favorite part of the trip was seeing everyone from Dealix and meeting the folks from Cobalt, being with the best of the best. I’d be lying if I didn’t agree that the views from the cruise ship and the experiences we all shared were fantastic. There were many times my husband and I sat on our balcony, looking at the view, talking Cobalt President's Club Hawaiiabout what an amazing opportunity it was for us to be there in that moment.”

Cami, a business operations analyst in Cobalt’s Seattle office, was selected specifically as the honorary winner for 2009, as someone who worked with Sales regularly and helped them throughout the year. “President’s Club was such a great experience, and I’d like to thank the 2009 President’s Club members for electing me in! I was so honored to be recognized by the team,” said Cami. “My husband and I had so much fun and enjoyed spending time with the President’s Club members and their spouses. All of the islands were beautiful (and warm!!!) but our favorite is still Kauai.”

The executives on the trip valued the opportunity to work directly with the company’s top performers to understand areas for improvement and opportunity.

Earning a place in the President’s Club is a goal that any Cobalt salesperson can achieve, and Cassie has some advice for those looking to meet the high standards. Among her recommendations, she says, “Don’t ever stop giving it your all!”

Being the best may not be easy, but for those who make it at Cobalt, it does have its rewards. Congratulations to this year’s President’s Club!

Posted in Cobalt Corporate Culture, Leadership, Tradition. Tags: , , , , . Leave a Comment »

Cobalt Gives This Holiday Season

December 10, 2009 — digitalmileage

At Cobalt, signs of the season are cropping up everywhere. Potted poinsettias lined up in the lobby. Miniature pine trees in the hallway. Baked goods and candy shared in the kitchen and on desks. And a big tree, decorated with colorful tags and bright lights with a growing pile of childrens’ toys underneath.

The holiday season is here, and at Cobalt that means we give a little more, financially and otherwise. In a previous entry we talked about Cobalt’s involvement in Northwest Harvest. In December, Cobalt is working with Treehouse and Childhaven, “two Seattle-based charities that do enormously important work for children and families. Children are the most vulnerable members of our society and the economy has pushed many more Washington families towards hardship,” in the words of CEO John Holt.

Cobalt has worked with both organizations in past years. This year Cobalt is donating $10,000 each to both Treehouse and Childhaven, and also matching employee financial contributions up to an additional $5,000 through December 23rd.

Decorated Christmas trees stationed throughout the Lynnwood and Seattle offices give employees the opportunity to make a more personal contribution to a child in need. The trees, part of a toy drive also sponsored by Treehouse, are hung with colored tags which describe presents Seattle children have wished for. Employees can choose a tag and purchase the presents themselves, then bring them in and place them under the big tree in the lobby to be donated. This is one small gesture that will hopefully make the holiday that much brighter for a child.

“It’s a thin line between fortune and despair,” said John Holt, “and I believe we recognize and honor our good luck when we reach out a hand to another.”

At Cobalt, reaching out with gifts from the heart is just one more sign of the holiday season.

The Cobalt Group
www.cobalt.com
www.twitter.com/CobaltMarketing
www.youtube.com/cobaltlive

The Cobalt Group

Posted in Cobalt Corporate Culture, Tradition. Tags: , , , , , . Leave a Comment »

Cobalt Teams Up with Northwest Harvest to Tackle Hunger

November 24, 2009 — digitalmileage

On Sunday, November 8, a group of Cobalt volunteers turned out under grey skies at Qwest Field with friends and family to support Northwest Harvest’s annual “Seahawks Tackle Hunger” food drive. The drive occurred just outside of the stadium before the Seahawks vs. Detroit Lions game. This drive was the end result of a lot of planning and effort from many hands.

Cobalt has previously worked with Northwest Harvest, Washington’s own statewide hunger relief agency, donating money, time, effort, and people to the cause of getting nutritious food to those who need it. John Holt, Cobalt’s CEO, is committed to making an annual financial donation on behalf of the company, and his commitment has inspired employees across the company to give as well.

Months before the event, Cobalt’s Northwest Harvest committee, a hard-working trio: Jennifer Krause, Arthur John and Marcia Maling, met to make plans. It was Arthur who described the theme perfectly: “One family helping another family.” This was the theme that carried them forward.

Once the team decided on what they were doing, Jayden Feagins from the Cobalt Marketing team, expertly turned some rough copy into attractive promotional materials – visuals that were spread around the company to draw attention and spark interest in the Northwest Harvest drive. Jayden also designed posters and email notices for the event.

All the volunteers, from a number of Seattle-area companies, were deployed around Qwest Field on game day to carry a sign, or a bucket to encourage donations, as well as thanking the generous football fans for their contributions. This day was the easiest and most fulfilling part of the project; seeing the fruits of their labors come to life.

By the end of the day, 100 volunteers had collected $14,500 and 2,982 lbs. of food – nearly a ton and a half in canned goods. Of those 100 volunteers, 25 were from Cobalt! There were employees, friends of employees, family of employees, and friends of family. Even 9-year-old Juan was manning a bucket – with his mom Keisha and baby brother right beside him. Helping others is its own reward, and Cobalt is very proud of its volunteers and thankful for their efforts. Each of the volunteers received a Starbucks gift card as a small show of gratitude for a great day.

The event may be over for this year, but Cobalt isn’t done yet. Not satisfied with one success, the team is already planning how next year’s drive can be even better! Cobalt is filled with smart, successful and talented people – exactly the kind of people to help Northwest Harvest achieve even bigger successes in the future.

Cobalt is proud to have been a part of this year’s Northwest Harvest food drive, and looking forward to doing even more next year!

The Cobalt Group
www.cobalt.com
www.twitter.com/CobaltMarketing
www.youtube.com/cobaltlive

The Cobalt Group

Posted in Cobalt Corporate Culture, Tradition. Tags: , , , , , . Leave a Comment »
« Older posts