By Lauren Elmore, CEO
Every year, we take time to gather together. As a small, but dispersed organization, it is important for us to get together in person to connect with one another. This year, that wasn’t possible. So we improvised and did our All Company Meeting in a virtual setting. It certainly wasn’t what we are used to, but it still gave us time to learn and connect with one another.
Talk About the Big Picture
One of the reasons we like to host these meetings is to give everyone a chance to see what is going on in the big picture. It is easy for each of us to get into the day to day and forget what is going on in the rest of the company. We use this opportunity each year to talk about Firmatek’s bigger strategy, our BHAGs, our unique projects, and things like vision, values, and customer service. This year was no different. We had team presentations on the R&D we’ve been doing with DJI, the new TrueView from GeoCue, and the unique projects our engineering team has worked on this year. It is exciting to see so many of our up-and-coming leaders discuss the projects they’ve led for the last year with the whole company. Through this reflection, we learn more about how our work contributes to our company’s overall goals.
Talk About What’s New
If you follow us, you know we began serving a new industry last year: Electrical Utilities. As we’ve developed our service offerings, gained experience with real projects, and cultivated partnerships with industry colleagues, we’ve learned a lot. Andrew, Kate, and Jeff presented on the work we’ve completed in this industry and set expectations for what’s to come this year. It was a wonderful opportunity to educate the entire team about the problems we’re solving and the solutions we provide within our purpose and our strengths. It was a chance for everyone to get excited about the opportunity we see there.
Leave Time for Participation and Feedback
One of the best parts of the two-day event was the Q&A. We did some Q&A the first day and then got a request for more the second day! It was encouraging to see the questions asked about Firmatek’s direction, our strategies, and where we go from here. Presented with questions like, “why did you choose electrical utilities?” and “have you thought about xyz industry?”, the team was engaged in the bigger picture.
All in all, it certainly wasn’t as fun as it usually is. There were no dinners and happy hours. No golf karting. No axe throwing. No office beer pong. While we are looking forward to that next year, we made the best of the situation we found ourselves in. We still gathered. We got to talk with colleagues we don’t usually get to interact with. We met new team members. We learned a few things. We set aside time for voices to be heard. And last but not least, we engaged in the bigger picture. For that, we are thankful.
We have an amazing team at Firmatek that enjoys being together. Although we could not gather face to face at our San Antonio HQ, the virtual meeting was time well spent. We’ve got big goals for 2021 and we can’t wait to reach them with this team.
About Lauren Elmore
Lauren is the Chief Executive Officer and part owner of Firmatek. She has a background in finance and law. Lauren is part of the investment team for Indiana based private equity firm, Elmore Companies. Her experience includes glendonTodd Capital, LLC where she worked on deals in the technology and real estate industries and as a Consulting Associate at Cambridge Associates, where she advised clients on asset allocation, manager selection, and spending.
Other articles by Lauren:
Use Technology to Avoid Common Stockpile Measuring Mistakes
3 Tips for Modernizing your Landfill and Waste Management Plan
