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6ABSMMMDPPC
some people love the holidays. others are big on birthdays. at method, our annual ping pong tournament is the happiest time of the year. we take it pretty seriously, too. check out this year’s official rules to the 6th Annual Brad Shutzberg* Method March Madness Doubles Ping Pong Competition.
round one begins february 27, but teams have already been chosen. the brackets are assigned. and in the meantime, practice (and trash talking) begins.
get ready, ping pong table, get ready.
*no, I don’t know who Brad Shutzberg is, but someone here probably does.
a day in the life of jeremy
it's about that time. time to get a glimpse into the daily adventures of one of our people against dirty. for this installment of 'a day in the life,' we follow pack-man (officially: packaging engineer) jeremy bruno on bike rides, product inspection and get a sneak peek at a new limited edition line. it doesn't get better than that.
7:00am
roll myself out of bed after hitting the snooze button three times
7:45am
hop on my bike for a ride to the office. the best part of the ride is the “green wave” on valencia street, all downhill on the way to the office and the stop lights are timed to the speed of a bicycle. there was a lot of traffic for the ride in this morning due to the beautiful weather in san francisco today.
8:05am
arrive at the office for breakfast and a BIG cup of coffee to jumpstart my day and get me through all the morning emails.
10:00am
between emails and meetings, my time this morning is spent on finalizing the launch of our new limited edition lime and sea salt hand soap, dish wash, and all-purpose cleaner. what do you think? they look right at home on our tiki bar.
12:00pm
time for a quick lunch and then off to inspect test pallets that have arrived. I’m responsible for ensuring that our product reaches the consumer free of defects and looking as pretty as they were intended. so far, so good.
4:00pm
back on the bike and off to get a haircut at hip new mission barber, Freeman’s Sporting Club.
5:30pm
a quick stop at home to unwind from the day, inspect my new ‘do and change clothes for my soccer match this evening.
7:00pm
game begins. it’s been over three weeks since our team has played together, so it was a rough start. but the good guys prevailed in the end – 7-3!
8:30pm
return home happy from the win and sit down for dinner with my fiancé Maria. tofurky sausages on a hoagie bun with peppers, onions, cheese and marinara sauce—my favorite!
10:15pm
early to bed early to rise.
employee of the month #4
we’re ringing in the new year with 2012’s first employee of the month, lesley (middle name: over-deliver) newhouse. when she’s not busy going way above and beyond her goals, she’s making our partnership with Target stronger than ever. what’s her secret? read on to find out.
lesley, congratulations on being crowned our first employee of the month of 2012. how does it feel?
it feels amazing. I never thought I’d be in this position. I’d like to thank my parents for giving me a strong foundation, my family for all of their support and, most importantly, the Target guests for buying great products and continuing the fight against dirty.
did you have any idea that you were going to be chosen?
no, I had no idea at all. I thought these were the kind of awards people only dreamed of getting.
is your team making sure you don your crown and robe? it might be a nice shield against the cold over there in Minneapolis, huh?
well, I’m feeling lucky that our winter has been pretty mild so far this year. otherwise, I’d have to wear a coat over the robe and no one would see it. and my team isn’t exactly “making” me wear it but I will surely have it on every day – they’ve been known to take cool things from my office.
are you excited about your Perk of Significance? when are you going to take your weekend jaunt to downtown Minneapolis?
I can’t get it scheduled soon enough.
I bet! so besides that, what would you say is the best thing about being employee of the month? (it’s okay to say the Vault of Edible Riches.)
oh, I have to agree with you on the Vault of Edible Riches. it covers all the cravings a girl could have - salty, sweet, sour and even healthy.
do you have any big plans for your reigning month?
I think I may treat the robe like Flat Stanley – and showcase all the places it goes.
I like the sounds of that. so, do you have any parting words of wisdom for someone who might like to be the next employee of the month?
be true to who you are and all else will fall into place.
well there you have it. thanks lesley.
holiday road
in the name of getting into the spirit of the season, the method team made you a little something.
check out our rendition of ‘holiday road,’ wherein we lip sync our hearts out, dance like it’s going out of style and otherwise embarrass ourselves. it’s better than it sounds.
thanks for a great year. we’ll see you in 2012.
employee of the month #3
our next employee of the month was absolutely no surprise to anyone. peter hu is known for his exceptional work in IT, where he manages a terribly complicated sounding system and makes himself available 24/7 (yup, 24/7). peter has won more method “care” values awards than anyone ever in company history. he is also pretty much the nicest guy ever. but enough with the accolades, let’s hear from the man himself.
first of all, congratulations. how does it feel to be employee of the month?
I’m totally overwhelmed and felt a bit uncomfortable with all of the attention, but overall it’s been a really rewarding experience.
were you surprised? because we weren’t surprised. you deserve it.
YES! everyone here at method works so hard and wears so many different hats, I don’t think I’m doing any more than any of my colleagues.
you got a pretty fantastic Perk of Significance, didn’t you? how’s that iPad treating you?
indeed! what’s really awesome is that I’ve been trying to save one as a surprise for my wife this Christmas (she's wanted it since the first iPad). and now get to give it to her on our 18th wedding anniversary.
(see what I mean? nicest. guy. ever.)
I have to ask everyone this; what’s in your Edible Vault of Riches?
my favorite chocolate (Ritter Sport and Andes), gum and jelly beans.
okay, so besides the all the treats, what’s the best part about being employee of the month?
I think it’s the great honor of being chosen amongst a group of super talented, passionate and thriving people. and now that I’m really thinking about it, it actually felt extremely humbling.
what do your favorite thing about working at method?
here at method, you really get to LOVE your job simply because you are allowed to do what you love doing! and of course the big family ambience with all the amazing colleagues is really wonderful too.
one final question – what do you think it takes to become employee of the month? you know, in case anyone reading this has their sights set on the crown.
I think one of the things that people appreciate about me is my perspective on my work. I like thinking of each problem or project as an opportunity to learn and be better. so whenever time permits, I challenge myself to come up with a better solution than what has been asked for. I take pride in making people happy (with my work).
