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Welcome to the Wimmer Watercooler Newsletter blog connection for May 16th, 2022. Dive into more details regarding our teammates, what's happening in the company, and more!
We recommend that you follow us on social media for the most up-to-date content from Wimmer Solutions:
In this blog post, you will find:
- Solution Spotlights - Ken Tradewell and Marguerita Wicklander
- Charity Focus - Water Drop LA
- Event Recap: Dallas Team Baseball Game & Philippines Team Summer Trip
- Upcoming Events - Seattle Furry 5K
Meet our April Solution Spotlights
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Ken Tradewell
Senior Account Manager
Wimmer Solutions HQ – Seattle, WA
We're so happy to be celebrating Ken's 7 year anniversary with Wimmer Solutions on May 4th!
In those 7 years, Ken has shown his care and commitment to building a welcoming network of coworkers and clients. With his background in recruiting, sales, and operations, he has been invaluable in his work of connecting our clients to top-tier talent, and in helping to move the dial toward ever better working relationships.
Ken is retired from the U.S. Navy after 21 years of service. During that time, Ken had the chance to visit many places, including: Guam, Italy, Sicily, Puerto Rico, Ireland, Okinawa, Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong, China & Spain. He is looking forward to adding to his travel list once the Pandemic is over.
In his down time, Ken is a major golf enthusiast (Yes, please ask him about it!), and loves to play as much as possible.
When Ken is not playing golf, he is passionate about
- Camping
- Genealogy
- Spending Time with Family
Ken has accomplished so much in his time with Wimmer, and we can't wait to see what the next few years brings!
👋 Join Ken's network on LinkedIn---> Ken's LinkedIn Profile
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Marguerita Wicklander
Program Manager
Seattle, WA
Marguerita is a Non-Technical Program Manager that has been with Wimmer Solutions for 9 months. With a background in procurement, contracts, and project management, she is well equipped to handle any management or program issues that come her way! Born in Canada, Marguerita is proud to own dual citizenship (We're so happy you're here working with us instead of Canada, Marguerita!)
Her creative outlets include discovering new places to go and visit and creating cakes. She has even owned a specialty cake business, where she crafted wedding cakes, birthday cakes, and more!
A few more of Marguerita's favorite things:
- Pilates (She's an Instructor!)
- Traveling with Family
- Adventuring Outdoors
🙌 Learn more about Marguerita by following her online ---> Marguerita on LinkedIn
Don’t forget to nominate your coworkers for Solution Spotlight! We want to know who needs to be acknowledged for the amazing work they do!
>>>> Nominate a Wimmer Solutions Spotlight
Meet our April Charity Focus
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Benjamin Gorenberg is the Senior Marketing Manager at Wimmer Solutions. He nominated Water Drop Los Angeles for the May Charity Focus.
Water Drop LA is a 100% volunteer-run community organization whose mission is to provide clean water and other necessities to communities facing water inaccessibility. By distributing 2,000+ gallons of water each week and by providing water to their partner organizations across Southern California, Water Drop aims to support existing organizers and to meet the immediate needs of the community.
Benjamin became involved with Water Drop LA when he assisted co-founder, Aria Lee Cataño, with marketing efforts for her cause.
Benjamin states, "I’ve known Aria since she was born, she is like a goddaughter to me! Aria graduated college at the start of the pandemic and with the economic uncertainty this entailed she felt a need to do something other than doom-scroll her days away while trying to land a first job. She decided to find a way to help and give back to the community."
Every Sunday at 11am, Aria helps bring a group of 30+ volunteers to Skid Row to drop off gallons of water - what they call a "water drop". By packing 15+ cars and trucks with water gallons and fanning out across the region, they are able to reach a significant number of Skid Row residents. While a gallon a week is nowhere near sufficient for healthy survival in Los Angeles’s hot climate, their efforts toward regular water distribution help curb some of the existing urgent need for clean drinking water.
Not only does Water Drop LA directly provide water, it also works to raise awareness around systemic homelessness and advocate long term solutions to combat water shortage. On their water drops, they underscore the importance of person-to-person conversations and interactions. They educate their volunteers on the benefits to building relationships with members of the community, with the hope to serve as a trusted resource and friend to residents. They also prioritize legislative advocacy, as it is a primary way in which they can achieve long-term change.
Benjamin stays in touch with Aria, helping support the cause as much as possible. He forwarded us a statement that Aria hopes to emphasize to readers:
“Water is a human right. This is Water Drop LA’s core belief, and we operate with the understanding that while we must fight for systemic change, we must also work to meet urgent needs on the ground.
Every single person is capable of taking the actions necessary to meet these urgent needs - all it takes is being a good neighbor. Save some cold water for the unsheltered folks in your neighborhood and pass it to them on hot days. Collect unwanted blankets or clothes from friends and family and drop it off with a local mutual aid group. Take a few minutes to check in on unhoused people and really listen to what they need. None of us have the power to solve homelessness on our own, but we do have the power to show unhoused members of the community that we care - and that can make all the difference.”
Benjamin stands as a continuous and diligent supporter for Aria and what she helped create in Water Drop LA. "I’m proud of her and her friends who looked around and saw a need. They scraped up some cash, borrowed vehicles, and made their first water drop. Word got out and donations started flowing in. They amassed a pool of volunteers to distribute the water each weekend and they were able to incorporate as an official 501(c)(3) non profit organization. They have been doing this for about two years, but available cash and donations are starting to dry up, so any donations help, even small ones!"
Wimmer Solutions is donating to Water Drop LA on behalf of Benjamin. We appreciate you sharing your cause with us and we wish them all the best in their community action!
Visit the Water Drop Los Angeles website for more information on the cause or to make a donation.
Share your charitable causes with us! Take a few minutes to nominate for Charity Up so we can tell your story and help support a great cause!
>>>> Nominate for Charity Focus
Baseball Game Meet-Up | Dallas Team
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The Wimmer Solutions Dallas Team met-up for the Texas Rangers vs. Houston Astros Baseball game in Arlington, Texas on April 27th.
Our team enjoyed a night out at the ballpark while catching up with their coworkers.
Pictured above, left to right:
Front row: Patty Bush, Gordon Avary, Charlie Jones, Jeanie Jones, and Mark Wilson.
Back row: Wade Roelofs, Tiffany Roelofs, Torben Espensen and son, Pete Kohli, Michelle Brady and Chris Brady.
Unfortunately, the Rangers lost to the Astros 3-4, but that didn't put a damper on our teams enthusiasm for getting back together outside the office. Jeanie Jones commented, "It was a Beautiful night for a Ballgame with our team! We truly appreciate Bobby putting this together for us!"
We're glad we could support a fun event for our employees and their families after all the hard work they put in! Thank you team!
Summer Get Away | Philippines Team
The Wimmer Solutions Philippines Recruiting Team met-up for a beach-inspired team bonding experience. The team stayed April 16th - 18th at a private beach-side resort in Agno, Pangasinan, Philippines, located in the northern province of Luzon. Rog Lopez, Team manager, Sourcing and VMS Recruiting, organized the trip for his team.
They spent 3 days and 2 nights at the resort, eating and drinking together, enjoying the sun, and dipping waist-deep into the sea on the white sand shore. The team used their time to strengthen their camaraderie, and they were able to dive deep into time spent together as they lost the ability to use their phones with no Wi-Fi at their location. They also saw the trip as a good way to welcome Joshua Andaya, a VMS recruiter and recent hire, to the Wimmer Solutions Philippines Team.
It took the team over 12 hours of travel time, through the night, to reach their destination. That time was compounded by some holiday traffic, but the team was able to use it to their advantage. Rog stated,
"As majority of population in the Philippines is Catholic, and that week is considered the Holy Week, prior to Easter Sunday, traffic was horrible. It took us 8 hours to arrive for what usually is a 4-hour drive. It tested our patience but gave us more time to share stories and silly jokes along the way. So when we arrived at the destination, there is no need for an introduction."
Thank you Philippines Team for sharing your photos and experience with us - it's great to see our team members making wonderful memories happen, and we can't wait to see more in the future!
Upcoming Events | Seattle Furry 5K
June 12, 2022 - Seward Park, Seattle
Join other animal lovers in the Seattle area to raise money for the Seattle Animal Shelter Foundation, as we return in-person at Seward Park on June 12, 2022 at 11:30 a.m. Join us to run or walk in-person or virtually in support of the Help the Animals Fund at the Seattle Animal Shelter, which supports medical care for pets in need.
Wimmer covers event participation cost for all employees (+ family members!)
Sign up: SASF Furry 5K Fun Run & Walk Registration
After registering on the site, add the cost to your Wimmer Solutions expense report or contact your manager for cost coverage.
After sign up, please contact Bobby.Richardson@wimmersolutions.com to be placed on our participant list - we would love to run (or walk!) as a group if desired.
We can't wait to see you there!
