In honor of Kinetic’s 13th business anniversary, some of our courageous team members took a trip down memory lane, digging out old photo albums to find pictures from when they were 13, and also revealing some pretty interesting insights about who they were at that age. Check out these transformations.
“When I was thirteen, I was hooked on Super Mario Brothers 3.”
– Gabe
Gabe is still hooked on technology, though now his focus is on programming and IT for Kinetic, keeping us safe with ridiculous passwords and always prepared with a travel kit of cords. He’ll still fire up Super Mario Brothers 3 on occasion, and can also be found in his man cave playing racing sims with his kids.
“When I was thirteen, I saw New Kids on the Block in concert and bought a 12”x12” souvenir button.”
– Michelle
Despite Michelle’s taste in music expanding over the years to include everything from classic rock and country to hairbands and hip-hop and R&B, the SiriusXM Fly radio station is definitely one of her favorites—and the most frequently played station at the office, with no objection from the team. (Ask her about the souvenir button.) As an owner and co-founder of Kinetic, the bangin’ hits are just one small effort she makes to keep the team engaged at the office. When she’s not pumping up the jams, you’ll find her in her office envisioning solid strategy and results-driven direction for her clients, or at home spending quality time with her husband and three kids.
“When I was thirteen, I was finally taller than all the girls in my class, but they still ignored me.”
– Jim
Towering over the rest of the team, the ladies in the office certainly don’t ignore him now. While Jim is technically Kinetic’s internal trucking industry Subject Matter Expert, he is known in the office as the “wise owl” and “the most interesting man [at Kinetic],” because he’s always dropping new wisdom or finding interesting things to do—like reaching the 5,000-mile hiking milestone.
“When I was thirteen, I was quite the troublemaker. But in one month-long detention sentence, I learned how to play chess, so it wasn’t all bad.”
– Dabid
Dabid has since departed from his troublemaking ways and earned the Art Director position at Kinetic. He spends his days at the office cranking out fresh designs, reserving his nights for time with with his wife and kids (who are much more well-behaved than he was at their age), passing down his chess skills and life advice.
“When I was thirteen, I hit my peak athleticism: I was on the swim team and had abs of steel.”
– Felicia
Fast forwarding thirteen more years, Felicia project manages for Kinetic—sometimes from her Doug the Pug-decorated office space, and other times from the nearest hipster coffee shop. She still spends a decent amount of time in the pool, but nowadays, it’s a little more lounging and lot less backstroking.
“When I was thirteen, I began experimenting with all kinds of different hairstyles. (And my mom was a hairstylist, so the options were endless.)”
– Stacy
Stacy’s hair experimentation paid off, and now she’s known for her long red locks that perfectly suit her warm, energetic personality. As one of Kinetic’s owners and co-founders, Stacy’s goal for Kinetic is to be a place where employees thrive, work well together and do amazing work for our clients—all while having a good time. If she’s not solving clients’ business challenges, it’s a safe bet that she’s spending time with her daughter and animals.
“When I was thirteen, I had so many keychains on my backpack that it literally weighed 15 lbs. without anything in it.”
– Katie
Since her middle school days, Katie has ditched the keychain addiction and traded in her 15-lb. backpack for a diaper bag. When she’s not working as a Graphic Designer and Kinetic’s Vendor Curator, she can be found at home with her family, gardening in her back yard, or remodeling her home.
“When I was thirteen, I thought I was going to be a major league baseball player!”
– Rod
Rod kept the MLB dream alive until high school, when reality hit (though he may still daydream about it). He may not be world-famous for baseball, but he might as well be Fort Wayne-famous for all the connections he’s made around town. He’s been voted World’s Best CFO by Kinetic and World’s Greatest Dad by his team of six kids.
“When I was thirteen, I thought I was going to marry Justin Timberlake.”
– Andrea
Andrea is now happily married (spoiler alert: not to J. Timberlake) with an adorable daughter who keeps her on her toes. Andrea also brings her A-game to the office, managing her clients’ projects and challenges with ease and finesse—and to the conference room, where she crushes the rest of the team with her sick rap flow.