In Our Own Words
	Posted by Guest Blogger at May 03, 2012 06:34 AM CDT Categories: NPtech

Editor’s Note: This week the Convio team has reflected upon our journey: funny times, client successes, company progress and our future. We've enjoyed including you with Gene's post Monday, Sara's post Tuesday and Gary's post yesterday. And now a little more as we continue to share, in our own words, our Convio.

First from Angie McDermott, VP of Human Resources

For me, it takes the form of a love letter.

Dear Convio,

When Gene asked me to serve as your VP of Human Resources in 2006, you were such a kid – so scrappy, so brave, so eager to please, so eager to learn. You stole my heart early on in our relationship. It turns out you are the best company I have ever worked for and with. You’ve set a standard that will be hard to replace. I am filled with gratitude and appreciation for this very special experience.

Now look at you….You’ve come so far, so fast. You’ve been blessed by fabulous caretakers - with Gene, Vinay, Jim and the rest of the leadership team. You were carefully and attentively nurtured through all your awkward growth phases. You weren’t always easy, but you were always loved.

When I joined you, there were 133 Convions. We are now about 450 strong. When I joined you, we occupied one small office Austin. You are now thriving in 7 locations across the US and the UK. We added three wonderful companies to help you mature faster – GetActive, StrategicOne, and Baigent. (What an impact each new team made!) Your revenues grew from $21M to $80M. Your impact on the world grew from nothing to $1.35 billion for fuelling the noble work of our clients.

So as I say “Goodbye” to Convio I say “How’s it going, Blackbaud? How can I help?” I’ll be staying on as the VP of Leadership Development and Culture. 

And second from Marc Cannon, VP of Services

My first introduction to Convio was a Friday afternoon meeting with Gene. ‘Con’-vio, as I was incorrectly pronouncing it, intrigued me. I was coming out of Adobe and the Silicon Valley environment and this was a big change for me. Gene and I talked intently for the next hour plus and he made such a positive impression on me that over that weekend I spent a fair amount of time getting a lot smarter about the nonprofit market and Convio. I was also looking for a company with a leadership team that had been around the block in terms of growing companies, as well as one I really clicked with. I got to experience a Vinay interview which absolutely made my head hurt with Vinay’s incredibly insightful questions. After several more meetings, and Gene’s demand that I correctly pronounce the company’s name, I joined Convio. That was a little over three years ago and it has been a wonderful journey ever since. 

Convio was a first for me on a number of fronts; first foray into a company serving the nonprofit market, first Austin-based company after living in Austin for 15 years, first company I could go on a Saturday morning motorcycle ride with other Ops team members where we covered some serious Hill Country territory and certainly the first company where the head of HR wrote a note to my wife Mona welcoming us to the Convio family.

Of course it wasn’t all positive and carefree; there were challenges of all shapes and sizes, including running out of bread at the end of the month when you really needed that PB&J to make it through the day. I am filled with wonderful experiences and memories of all that we have accomplished over the years. 

Although this week marks the end of many Convio traditions, it also marks the beginning of some great opportunities for all of us and our clients. I look forward to what lies ahead and know I am in great company as we all take that step.