Life on the Curve

July 14, 2010 — aspeyer

John HoltIt’s business as usual at Cobalt, and everyone in the company knows that means change.

“I’m 53 years old, and I’m still learning,” said CEO John Holt while addressing the company on the morning of July 9. “Change is constant. You can either close yourself to it or open your arms to it.”

Holt had announced that Cobalt, the company he co-founded over 15 years ago, is now in the final stages of being acquired by ADP, one of the world’s largest providers of information technology. The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions and ADP logois expected to close in the third quarter of 2010. Until then, ADP Dealer Services and Cobalt will operate as independent businesses.

Once the acquisition is finalized John will lead the new ADP Digital Marketing group within ADP Dealer Services from Cobalt’s offices in Seattle. The new group will include all of the digital marketing capabilities of ADP, including BZ Results, Cobalt and Dealix. This organization will be uniquely positioned to deliver a comprehensive set of digital marketing solutions that will help transform the ways manufacturers and dealers market and sell vehicles and related services.

It’s going to be an exciting time, especially since Cobalt will still be Cobalt – the company’s vision and brand in the marketplace will continue. And Holt will still be here to lead the ADP Digital Marketing group onward to new ideas.

The company meeting was clearly a poignant moment for Holt, as he expressed his pride in the Cobalt’s accomplishments to the packed Seattle auditorium by videoconference to meeting rooms in Lynnwood and at Dealix and Integralink as well as by phone to hundreds of employees over the Internet.

“We’ve come a long way together, but we still have a lot to do,” he said.

Founded 15 years ago at the start of the Internet era, the company has grown its customer base and its capabilities to become a market leader – not just in websites but also in integrated digital marketing solutions for auto manufacturers and their dealer networks. ADP’s existing model complements Cobalt’s, since ADP solutions helps dealers convert opportunities created by Cobalt’s digital marketing capabilities into sales.

ADP’s financial strength, global footprint and capabilities in social media and other technology areas are expected to open up new doors for Cobalt employees and customers. Cobalt will remain laser-focused on building brand awareness for its customers and driving traffic to their stores.

“Some things will change, for sure,” Holt told employees this morning. “But many things will be the same,” he assured. He then entreated everyone watching and listening to keep doing what they’ve always done by sticking to the four C’s: Curiosity, Commitment, Creativity and Community.

“Stay curious,” he said. “Don’t be afraid to commit completely, with a full heart and mind. Be creative, even in the face of things that seem ‘the way they’ve always been.’ Keep community alive; it takes a community to have a company, and this fact is core to Cobalt’s success and spirit.

“I see life as one learning curve after another,” Holt said. “If you embrace them rather than run from them, you can drive yourself to personal achievements that may surprise you. Because of the things I tackled and learned, last year was the best year of my life. It’s daunting to try to make this year even better, but with this announcement it’s off to a pretty good start!”

Like we said – business as usual.

What’s next for John Holt, Cobalt, and Dealix? We’re not done yet. Not even close. Stay tuned.

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

The Cobalt Group

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

Playing in the Big Leagues

June 23, 2010 — aspeyer

It was an unseasonably cool June evening, and in the Westin Hotel in downtown Seattle, the crowd was growing restless. Performers from Cirque du Soleil wandered the room as old friends met and new ones were made. Soon John Curley was warming up the crowd. Then Jack Zduriencik, general manager of the Seattle Mariners, was talking about baseball and business.

The event was Seattle Business Magazine’s “100 Best Companies to Work For 2010,” baseball was the theme of the evening, and Cobalt was one of the honorees present.

Zduriencik described a difficult season for the Mariners and a difficult year for business. No need to tell Cobalt about that. The economic downturn was felt keenly for anyone in the automotive space, and Cobalt was no exception.

Zduriencik also spoke fondly of someone he admires who, even at 78 years old, follows a simple mantra: “Never give up. Never give up. Never give up.”

It’s good advice. Even through the rough times, Cobalt stuck to what it does best. That includes treating employees well, thinking around corners, and stopping once in a while to play just as hard as we work.

All nominated companies went through a three-step judging process: a formal nomination phase, an independent analysis by a research firm that compiles and analyzes data from an employee survey, and finally, a selection of the winners by a panel of distinguished judges. Honorees in 2010 were split into four distinct categories: nonprofit, small, medium and large size companies.

At the end of the night, Cobalt was chosen as the second place winner in the Large Companies category. Other finalists named in the same category included PAML and Columbia Bank.

Nicole Walker from Cobalt Services, Keith Zackrone and Deepak Goindwani from Technology, along with the rest of the Cobalt team at the Westin dinner table were thrilled to hear that Cobalt was a finalist.

“It’s wonderful to be recognized by employees and objective business leaders as one of the best workplaces in the state,” said Cobalt’s VP of Human Resources Julia Pizzi, who accepted Cobalt’s award. “Knowing that Cobalt employees are confident in and happy about the work culture that has been created at the company reinforces the company’s ongoing commitment to our workplace values – transparency, dedication to employee career mastery and workplace health. Those are values that make a difference in good times or bad.”

To add to Pizzi’s comments, CEO John Holt said in a message to the company, “To say we couldn’t have done this without you is a bit obvious, but it’s true.” “This gives us lots of feedback about the things we’re doing right and the things we need to improve.”

It just goes to show that the mantra is true, and it works for good business just as well as it does for baseball. No matter what life throws at you, don’t give up.

Never give up.

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

The Cobalt Group

Posted in Cobalt Corporate Culture, Leadership, News & Awards. Tags: , , , , . Leave a Comment »

Cobalt Has STAR Power

May 14, 2010 — aspeyer

TSIA STAR AwardCobalt’s Services Department has a new feature: the Technology Services Industry Association (TSIA) STAR Award trophy.

Cobalt is proud to be named the winner of the TSIA STAR Award for Best Practices in Value-Added Support in the SMB category. Cobalt’s own Dan Dorgan and Juli Howarth were there to receive the award on May 5 at the Technology Services World conference in Silicon Valley.

The STAR Awards recognize technology companies who display exceptional leadership, innovation, and commitment in developing and implementing best practices. This award recognizes Cobalt’s commitment and focus on developing and delivering support offerings designed to help customers increase or accelerate the ROI on their product or technology investment as well as help the company increase overall product sales.TSIA STAR Award Trophy

“We’re pleased to recognize Cobalt as a leading service organization that is setting the pace for the industry by pushing the envelope and delivering the strategies and tactics needed to help customers bridge the technology consumption gap,” said J.B. Wood, CEO of TSIA.

Since its inception in 1990, the STAR Awards have become one of the highest honors in the service and support industry, acknowledging the contribution of companies of all sizes to the continual improvement of service and support delivery industry-wide. Winning a STAR Award means that a company and their Support and Services Center have been acknowledged by their peers as being among the best in the business.

“I thank and congratulate each and every one of you for your contributions in making this award possible,” said Mark Dunn, vice president of services at Cobalt, in a message to the Services Team. “Let’s continue to do what we say we will do and exceed our customer’s expectations.”

Cobalt’s Services Team is happy with the addition of this prestigious award and looks forward to adding more to their collection!

Click for information on the STAR Awards.

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

The Cobalt Group

Posted in Leadership, News & Awards. Tags: , , , , . Leave a Comment »

Dealix Learns How to Be Fit While They Sit

March 30, 2010 — aspeyer

Fitness is a subject on the minds of most people in the workplace these days. Busy schedules and increasingly sedentary lifestyles leave many of us with a conundrum: How do you stay fit when you’re sitting in front of a glowing screen all day? At Dealix, a division of Cobalt, the employees found a unique solution; and last month, they tried it out at their first Wellness workshop.

“The whole concept is to learn how to move at work even just a little bit more, instead of feeling tight and tired at the end of the day,” said Eunice Mendoza, office manager at Dealix’s Redwood City location. “Stella, the Pilates instructor, definitely made the workshop interesting for us, teaching a few Pilates exercises to do at our desks.”

There were several different moves she showed the group, such as learning how to breathe properly. Practicing different breathing techniques correctly has benefits to your core. One example was the “navel to spine” method, also known as the “zipping up your jeans” method. Basically, when you exhale, you should pretend that you are zipping up a tight pair of jeans. Mendoza and other participants found that this one really works.

Other techniques included the “I Dream of Jeannie” seated abdominals, and the “Twist and Reach” movement (like you are grabbing a file, using the same navel to spine breathing) both of which strengthen abdominal muscles and shrink love handles.

“Many of us came out of the workshop thinking how such little movement made such a big impact!” said Mendoza, once she had completed the first workshop.

Dealix is planning another “Fit While You Sit” event in the coming months, just a part of how Dealix and Cobalt helps employees to achieve better wellness and fitness.

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

The Cobalt Group

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