"Show Up, Work Hard, Contribute"

"Show up, work hard, contribute"...words my Dad made sure we knew the meaning of by watching him do just that. He grew up in the Great Depression and became the "man of the house" at the age of 6. He worked odd jobs at a young age, one included selling programs at Wrigley Field where he would eventually meet my Mom when the Bears played there in the 60's. He is a Korean War veteran. He became a carpenter who after working at a local woodworking company landed at the Chicago Board of Education as their carpenter, traveling from school to school, building or fixing things. He was the sole breadwinner of our family. He put my four brothers and me through Catholic elementary and high school, often giving his time and talent as a carpenter in our Catholic church as a trade for a discount on tuition. He showed up, he worked hard, and he contributed.

"Show up, work hard, contribute"...words that I try to live by every day. To pay my way through college, I found a part-time job at a market research call center (Survey Center back then). We called consumers all across the country weeknights and weekends to ask about their shopping habits, their food and beverage consumption, their favorite restaurants, and how they felt our country and our presidents were doing. My roles have changed through the years...call center interviewer, supervisor, manager, field director, account director and most recently director of our quantitative research operations as well as managing our marketing efforts (the company is now known as Shapiro+Raj).

Which brings me to today (37 years later as of August 12th)...I was recognized by my company as its "Zainiac" (our version of employee of the quarter). What is a "Zainiac"? A "Zainiac" (getting its name from our CEO, Zain Raj) is someone who embodies Shapiro+Raj's five core values...commitment, integrity, innovation, growth, loyalty. I'm honored to have been chosen by my colleagues as someone who embodies our values, I'm proud of the work I've done, and that we've done together over the years, and I'm incredibly lucky for, and thankful to my Dad who taught me to show up, work hard, and contribute. Dad, I hope I continue to make you proud. ?