354 Days

It's been 354 days since the doors to our Headquarters in Chandler, AZ were last open. Saying it now seems almost unreal. But, most of the last year has seemed unreal.

When we closed our offices in March of 2020, I was positive we'd be able to safely reopen by the end of summer. Unfortunately, things don't always pan out the way we hope. By the end of May, all 10 of our global offices had closed indefinitely and employees transitioned to fully remote work.

In the moment, you never think to stop and appreciate the very mundane things we often take for granted. That has never been more clear to me than over the last year. But where there is dark, there is always light. And fortunately, with the development and approval of the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine, we're nearing the corner. 

Today is March 9th 2021. Today makes 354 days since I last stepped foot into our headquarters. Today, all of our AZ employees are healthy, vaccinated, and thriving. And today, I'm elated to FINALLY be able to open our doors again.

To celebrate our return, I chronicled my day to remember years from now the excitement I felt to get back to some semblance of "normal". Here's how my day has gone:

7:45 am: Local coffee run to Dutch Bros ?

8:30a: I never thought I'd miss the hustle and bustle of rush hour traffic on the way to the office.

11:00a: Celebrate re-opening with a few members of our AZ team ?? (p.s. - what's a celebration without cake?)

12:00p: No workday is complete without Pizza from our favorite Flordino's

1:00p: All smiles over here! Can't you just feel the happiness in the air?

3:00p: As I sit here writing this article, surrounded by friends and colleagues who inspire me to bring my best self to work daily, I am overwhelmed by emotion: happiness, joy, excitement and anticipation for what's next. The last 12 months have been a whirlwind, to say the least. But re-re-opening our Chandler office - even if only for a few days each week - is a small step towards our new normal; one that I look to embrace and live in fully.

What made this day possible was the work of 1000s of scientists, employees, volunteers and executives and government, medical and non-medical workers who made the vaccine possible. Apisero staff volunteered at the State Farm stadium vaccination site and as volunteers got the vaccine.

A HUGE thanks to everyone involved in the development, distribution and administering of the vaccine, it is providing hope to many - just like our local team - to return to the office and embrace new opportunities.