We just released Episode 4 of the SKU-ed #podcast, and it’s all about Innovation in the workplace. In this episode, Stephen and Anando bring on special guest @Nondini Naqui to talk about what innovation is, how to establish a culture of innovation, balancing customer vs business needs, and more!⠀ ⠀ Listen and subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts! 
Our next #MeetTheTeam member is 🎉 Leo Rotstein 🎉 Leo is a Director on the Services team and has been with us since May 2015!⠀ ⠀ What is your favorite part of our office space at Avatria?⠀ ⠀ “Our office space gives us a place to call our own and grow our company culture. In our early years while operating out of a co-working space it was great to have a home base, but the office never completely felt like our own. Now we have a space that has been built out and designed by the same team members that get to use it day in and day out, so it really reflects what we value and gives us an opportunity to focus on what matters to everyone. I know that with everything going on the office can seem like a thing of the past, but I am really looking forward to the day we can all go back and take advantage of the awesome space we have built ourselves.”⠀ ⠀ Learn more about Leo and the rest of the team at https://buff.ly/38jBMuX 
If you loved Netflix's “Queen's Gambit” then you'll love our next #AvatriaHero, Feng-hsiung Hsu. ⠀ ⠀ Hsu is the principal designer for IBM's Deep Blue chess computer, which defeated Grandmaster Garry Kasparov in a dramatic 1997 match ending in a score of 3 1/2 - 2 1/2. The match and creation of Deep Blue can be further found in Hsu's book "Behind Deep Blue: Building the Computer that Defeated the World Chess Champion" and even viewed in the documentary, "Game Over: Kasaparov and the Machine."⠀ ⠀ For all those playing chess online, you have Feng-hsiung Hsu to thank. 
Happy birthday to #AvatriaHero Ada Lovelace, the first computer programmer! In 1843 she wrote the first published algorithmic instructions for a proto-computer, built by mentor Charles Babbage, that could be programmed to compute not only numbers, but symbols, letters, and rules to represent larger entities such as music, pictures, and text. Ada also theorized a widely used concept still used today called looping, which is a repeated series of instructions. She is further celebrated each second Tuesday of October as a way to recognize women’s achievements in STEM. 
Our next #MeetTheTeam member is 🎉 Nate Macaso 🎉 Nate is a Technical Consultant on the Services team and has been with us since October of 2019!⠀ ⠀ What was your favorite philanthropy event at Avatria?⠀ ⠀ “I was blown away at how Avatria was quick to stand in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement. Avatria went above and beyond to match any donations toward charitable organizations fighting for equality and justice. As a person of color, I truly felt accepted and I am proud to work for a company that puts a lot of stock into diversity and inclusion. “⠀ ⠀ Learn more about Nate and the rest of the team on our site! 
Introducing Episode 3 of the SKU-ed podcast: Web Accessibility!⠀ ⠀ In this episode, Stephen and Anando talk about what web accessibility is, legislation surrounding it, and best strategies for making your eCommerce site more accessible.⠀ ⠀ Listen and subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts! 
Our next #MeetTheTeam member is 🎉 Frank Fineis 🎉 Frank is a Senior Data Scientist on the Product team and joined us in May of 2020!⠀ ⠀ Why did you choose to work at Avatria over other companies?⠀ “What I saw from Avatria during the interview process, I could only describe as genuine teamwork. Multiple partners were involved throughout different levels of interviews, and I could tell that between the product manager, marketing director, and members of the engineering team that there was a lot of trust. At a small company, trust comes at a high premium, and it's a hard thing to fake.”⠀ ⠀ Learn more about Frank and the rest of the team at www.avatria.com/about-us#frank-fineis 
🎃 Happy Halloween 🎃 from our team to yours! See if you can guess who carved which pumpkin 
It's easy to let good habits and healthy routines slip away as we continue to WFH, but thankfully our team member Brian P. organized a wellness challenge to help get us off our butts! (and for some, onto our heads) ⠀ ⠀ Big thanks to Brian and those on the team who participated. Now the real challenge begins in keeping these habits! 😉 
We asked the Avatria team to send us a picture of their home workspaces and a little info about their setup since we've all been meeting virtually for a few months now. Check out our blog to see how our team sets up their spaces to ensure we're still delivering world-class solutions for our clients and customers 
This past weekend our Chicago office had a very fun and socially-distant fall party! It was so fantastic to see everyone in person again (and to see some people for the very first time) #AvatriaFallParty 
Our next #MeetTheTeam member is 🎉 Harry Thakkar 🎉 Harry is a Partner on the Product team and was one of the founders of the company back in September of 2014!⠀ ⠀ What was your proudest accomplishment at Avatria? ⠀ ⠀ “Opening up our new office. I remember when we first started the company we would meet up at coffee shops or a tiny space with a couple desks in it. I’m proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish as a team and am looking forward to what the future holds for Avatria.“⠀ ⠀ Learn more about Harry and the rest of the team on our website! 
Introducing Episode 2 of the SKU-ed #podcast on the impact of COVID-19 on eCommerce! In this episode, Stephen and Anando talk about Long term impact, B2B Considerations, Public Health and Economic Concerns, and more! ⠀ ⠀ Listen and subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts!⠀ ⠀ #COVID19 #ecommerce #skuedpodcast 
Our next #MeetTheTeam member is 🎉Emma Sementi 🎉 Emma is a Functional Consultant on the Services team and joined us in July 2020!⠀ ⠀ Why did you choose to join Avatria over other opportunities? ⠀ ⠀ “It was clear that the small company environment and expertise available to me, from Avatria team members, would allow me to continuously be learning about the industry and how to be successful in the field, while being supported in a team environment.“⠀ ⠀ Learn more about Emma and the rest of the team on our site! 
We were so excited to hear that the annual @jpmorgan Corporate Challenge was still on for the year that we put on our own virtual race to get us ready! ⠀ ⠀ We had 7 members of the Avatria team partake in the 3.5 mile trial run. So for our very first #AvatriaCorporateChallenge the top three runners are… ⠀ ⠀ 1. Anando Naqui (21:06)⠀ 2. Stephen Osentoski (25:23)⠀ 3. Derek Schlau (26:13)⠀ ⠀ Thanks to everyone who participated! Be sure to return back for the real deal on Oct. 8th when we #RemixTheRun in the #JPMCC