The Essence of Urbander - Edifying People

Urbander 10 Years

Last night, Urbander had its 10th Year Celebration! The room was filled of former and current clients, vendors, community partners, friends from near and far. Even those that were not able to be there in person, were definitely felt in spirit, as many have now become part of the Urbander familia. While it was wonderful to see the many people that played a role in the company’s growth over the last 10 years and to receive well-wishes from afar, the most palatable part of the evening (apart from the sangria, piraguas, coffee bar and Puerto Rican inspired  hors d’oeuvres) were the heartfelt stories that each person shared regarding their memorable experiences with our CEO/President Samí Haiman-Marrero and the Urbander team. 

My heart swells with such honor and love when I think of my own first encounter with Samí and Scott (yes, he does exist!) over seven years ago. When I was the Chief of Communications & Community Connectivity with the Gov. Juan F. Luis Hospital & Medical Center in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, we worked targeted outreach on the 1st Women’s & Children’s Conference to engage our Latino population as well as on a community health assessment. After I left that position, we kept in touch over the years. Last year, when I decided to relocate to Orlando, Samí was one of the first persons I reached out to. Eager to help me and my family, Samí and I set out on an aggressive networking campaign to help find me a job, only to find that we still loved working together and could amplify our efforts together. Now, as Senior Consultant with Urbander, I feel like at one point we may have started out as strangers, but quickly became familia. My story is by no means unique, but rather its seems like the norm as I shared and celebrated this Urbander milestone with others last night. It served to solidify that the core of everything Urbander does is Edifying People.

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, the transitive verb, Edify, means to instruct or improve especially in moral and religious knowledge or to establish, build, inform, uplift and enlighten. People, not profits, are at the center of the work that we do. Whether it’s helping our clients make that heart to heart connection with their customers through Strategic Marketing & Business Development; facilitating workforce development programs to help people build their aptitude and attitudes towards opportunities to elevate themselves and their families; or, sparking dynamic conversations about infusing organizational cultures and environments with authentic Diversity and Inclusion strategies - we are in the people business. The beauty of edifying people is that it is built on a legacy of those that came before us, like Samí’s Dad…Sam Haiman, leader, public servant, activist, mentor, and so much more. We are intentional about legacy, where you leave your fingerprint on the hearts of those you meet to build a brighter future for the next generation. We are intentional about culturing relationships that amplify our impact in the community because we have just one chance to do meaningful work during our time on earth.  Like a beautiful quilt made up of individually unique pieces that create a collective experience, the individual stories shared last night about the Urbander experience emanated warmth, cherishable memories and hopes for the future.

Thank you to those that have supported us during our tenure and we look forward to reaching new heights in the future. We’d love you to share your Urbander experience in the comments below.

And of course, to learn about the Urbander journey since 2008, if you have not done so already (https://youtu.be/fWtWWTSavik), take a look at the creative rendition of our 10 year journey. We look forward to continuing to do good together!