March 11, 2016 marks my 20-Year “Hanna-versary” with the company I’ve spent my entire Graphic Design career with. With Cindy’s transition to retirement, and my taking over, it’s definitely been an amazing and crazy ride!
My husband jokes that I’ve never had a “real job” because this one has always been so good to me. With great people to work with (co-workers and clients), I’ve rarely been exposed to “Office Politics” or had major challenges to overcome. Hanna Design has always been more than a job, and a bit like a home away from home. Not many people stay with the same gig for 20 years, but with this milestone, I’d like to share some highlights, memories and things I’ve learned (in no particular order).
Office-wise, we can’t forget the long green couch when we decided to have a “napping room”, nor can we forget the annual duck races in the ponds at our old office. We also had a tradition to have a weekly potluck, which became part of our culture for many years. Crock Pot recipes in Winter and grilling in the Summer. We also invited consultants in to Feng Shui our offices and learned more about our personalities with Enneagram. Those were such fun times with lots of great memories. Then in 1999, the team at Hanna shared in my engagement to my husband – Cindy actually drove me to a “new client meeting” in Fort Collins to help with the surprise, with most of the office taking the afternoon off to follow us there (taking pictures and hiding in the trees!). Then a few months later they attended my wedding and were among some of the first people to meet both of our kids a few years later. I’ve pretty much “grown up” at Hanna, not only in my career, but as a person, wife and mom. I’ve learned my strengths and weaknesses (and still continuing to learn more about those). Most importantly though, I’ve learned to do what I love, which is a blessing in itself. I started at Hanna Design young and right out of college. Now I’m not quite as young. The memories of my 20 years at Hanna are pretty priceless and I definitely have to agree with my husband that my situation is unique, and I am very grateful for all of it – the friends, experiences, stories and opportunities it has brought to me.
Thank you, Hanna Design!