The 2023 Papa Dave Awards
It’s been a long time since I done did this but here goes – forgive the mega-informal format…
So…we went bowling for our Christmas party last Friday, and amidst the glamor and pageantry there were whispers of a long forgotten tradition at Adster…an opportunity for me to reflect on the year that was…a showcase for my mediocre writing skills…a chance for YOU – yes YOU Adster team, to be immortalized and to bask in the glory that is…
The 2023 Papa Dave awards.
Now, sit back, relax, and enjoy.
Your winners this year are..
Most likely to take up Hacky Sack in 2024: Lisa Michetti
It all started with our leadership retreat in the fall of 2022 where young Lisa divulged that she was looking to setup shop permanently in BC, intent on leading the charge in pursuit of Adster’s newly minted 10 year target:
Dream jobs for 10 deeply passionate people.
For Lisa, a dream job meant the ability to do the work she loves – for a team she deeply cares about – from a place she loves (with jokes she would only mostly tolerate 🙄).
This has required Lisa to demonstrate a plethora of words from the Adster dictionary, not the least of which include: student, humility, 1st mover, reliable, caring, resilient…I could go on.
I feel very fortunate to have someone like Lisa taking such careful watch over something so important to me.
Oh, and did I mention the weather in Edmonton today?
Most likely to take the old man in a deadlift competition: John Lapvie
While I’ve always been impressed by John’s digital marketing chops, I was SUPER excited to learn that John has recently added a vigorous, old school lifting program to his daily regime and a diet of nothing but shark powder and raw liver.
Ok, maybe not THAT old school.
As a guy who ALSO mostly uses his brain for work – and often finishes the day exhausted despite having only moved my fingers for 8 hours, I have (slowly) realized that adding in some mandatory physical activity every week is key to keeping me sharp.
Stellar commitment to betterment John – now, pass the liver and let’s eat!
Most in need of an Etsy site: Kenzie Muciarone
It’s the most wonderful time of the year, and despite 12 months worth of weekly rib ticklers via yours truly in our Tuesday rad-dad joke huddle, Kenzie – who I KNOW enjoys the jokes more than anyone has yet to grace my stocking with one of her FAB crafty-crafts.
Yes, Kenzie – in addition to now being a 5 year vet here at Adster – has quite the impressive side hustle, what with handmade trinkets, earrings and assorted nomadic-craft.
I thought for SURE this was the year I could expect..like a thoughtful tree ornament or SOMETHING.
For now I guess I’ll just have to be thankful for Kenzie’s loyalty, steadfast commitment to betterment (and appreciation for the finer nuances of sarcasm) as she progresses into new and exciting roles at Adster!
Most likely to hook a ride on a private place to the Lonestar state: Josh Hesse
Not technically an Adster team member, we’ve joked that the best way to think of Josh may be as our ‘outside cat’ at Adster.
In the past year or so of working with Josh on our super fun Energy Job Shop project, Josh has been able to pull off what I would consider to be nothing short of a series of magic acts.
The way this fella solves problems in real time – and goes about his daily business which has included trips to West Texas (one on a private yet), Montreal and every corner of Alberta as he makes the EJS brand known to some of the biggest energy companies in the world is something I have not yet seen in my entrepreneurial journey.
Josh has redefined what words like unconstrained, free, and able mean in our Adster words to live by while wholly living up to value #1 at EJS:
Be undeniable. Meow and forever.
Most likely to get deep in a sale pitch: Micheal Martindale
A few weeks ago, Josh (outside cat) sent me a video as he recorded Mike in a sales pitch discussing deep philosophical concepts with a client, taking over a screen share meeting so he could ‘show his hands’ to the client as he demonstrated visually how he saw the project playing out, quoting Einstein and cautioning them on falling into old habits, reinforced with ‘the definition of insanity is doing things the same over and over again while expecting a different outcome.’
Is this a sales pitch or a philosophy class?
Having had the pleasure of working with Mike now for nearly 10 years, I am SO thrilled to see him continually refine his craft in the keen pursuit of excellence.
Coffee for you – on me, closer.
Most likely to color their hair without me noticing as I spin-a-ma-roo the night away: Lizet Pineda
While Lizet has only been with us for a few short months and my first IRL encounter with her was a thrilling bowling excursion this past Friday, Lizet helped me realize something SUPER important:
I like people!
While we’ve been fortunate to take advantage of the many perks that remote work offers, the fact that I was unable to notice Lizet’s FAB new hair (which had been changed for WEEKS) was embarrassing and made me a wee bit sad. HOW did I miss this?
Ultimately getting to meet Lizet in person (and demonstrating my atrocious bowling) reminded me of how much I still enjoy seeing humans IRL and all the little things that get missed in webcam land (like pants).
Thanks Lizet!
Most likely to have known about Adster’s 10 year target 10 years ago: Jesse Tangen
Tucked away back in my tickle trunk full of collectibles, birthday cards and newspaper clippings is a letter written by a young Mr. Tangen suggesting that maybe – just maybe – he could one day ‘learn about computers’ and get a job with an even younger startup called ‘adster’.
Fast forward to 2023, and I am happy to report that 1 of those two things has come true – Jesse is in fact employed by Adster.
The whole ‘learning about computers’ thing I’m not so sure about. Did you try turning it off then turning it back on Jesse?
For reals, however – it is immensely satisfying to know the company we’ve built is living up to its vision of providing a path for folks to build their dream job.
And when in doubt, cntrl f5.
Most likely to indulge me in a Star Wars Reference: Carolina Del Rio
In Carolina’s welcome to the jungle err welcome to Adster day 1 presentation, I may have hi-jacked an image of her from one of the socials and used her smiling face to demonstrate how we see her progression playing out – Padawan/jedi star wars terminology intact.
Since then, Carolina has – as they say – ‘taken this and run with it’ not limited to, but including:
- Customized Jedi emojis for our slack channel
- A/B split testing where we compare the Jedi campaign to the Padawan campaign (I’m currently losing)
- My likeness AS a Jedi in at least one slide presentation..and speaking of which…
- The first team member to use a SLIDE PRESENTATION in our weekly huddle values nomination.
Carolina has proven herself to be a quick study – Interested, aware, and able.
And, while the Star wars references may get old (to everyone else and not me), I look forward to her continued passion and contribution.
Most likely to (mostly) let go of the vine: Andrew Forster
There’s a story about ‘letting go of the vine’ that travels around entrepreneurial circles, and how difficult it is for we owner types to delegate responsibilities so that we may elevate into higher level function in efforts to continue to serve the companies we build.
For those that know, this is much easier said than done.
As I reflect on 2023, I recognize and acknowledge how Adster relies on our leaders like Andrew to stay fresh, poised, and on the lookout for how to best guide us as we look ahead to 2024 and beyond.
Financial goodies and all.
Wrap up:
That’s it, that’s all folks. My blogging skills are rusty and I’ve done used all the words I know.
I hope all you Adster peeps, your families, and our clients have a stellar break and I look forward to getting after some goals in 2024!