The Planet Blog

I have worked at The Planet now for an action-packed seven days, the last four here in Austin at South by Southwest (SXSW). I am The Planet’s new Events Manager, and while I know very little about IT, I’ve had quite a bit of experience with trade shows after spending more than 15 years running from show to show with Dr Pepper (my drink of choice, of course). With SXSW as my first peek at how The Planet does trade shows, I can’t help but be really excited about what the future holds.

First and foremost, it is an absolute treat to have a team – from systems engineering and sales to marketing and IT – that shows so much passion for The Planet and our products. Never mind that everybody was on time and did their part — that was just a bonus. Everyone is engaged and having fun … from Jeff Reinis hocking T-shirts mid-aisle to Kevin Hazard and Phil Jackson challenging every geek at the show to a server-building race.

Kyle Monson competing in the Server Challenge

My highlight of the show was definitely when Russell Bishop from the UK took the server challenge. As he worked against the clock to put together the server, George – another show attendee – sang the theme song from “Greatest American Hero.” Needless to say, we all joined in. Things like that just don’t happen every day.

Russell and George (“The Singer”)

I’ve learned so much in the past few days. The whole team from The Planet quickly recognized my “deer in the headlights” look when anyone asked a complex question, and they quickly jumped in to make us look good. After they finished talking to the attendee, they kindly explained everything to me.

I’ve learned a lot about the power of social media … from something as small as tweeting about a lost iPhone to something as massive as our server challenge being Slashdotted.

Becky Rasch reunited with her lost iPhone

As I write this, it’s the last day of the show here at SXSW, and I find myself a little sad that every day won’t be like the past four … then again, with the same gang back at the office, I’m pretty sure we’ll still have a blast.

-Sherry

Last week, Ryan posted about his first month at The Planet, and as a new employee on the training team, I can’t help but echo his excitement and enthusiasm. 2009 was certainly a year of difficulties and change for me. With the downward spiral of the economy came an unexpected turn in my career.

After more than 13 years with the same company, I received the proverbial pink slip last summer. At 40, I lost a large part of my identity with the click of a mouse. How could this happen? What do I do now? I was fortunate enough to have a severance cushion for my abrupt nudge out of the nest, so I took some time and enjoyed the summer with my kids.

With the daily silence of the phone and the vast wasteland of my inbox came a foreboding sense of doom. What if I never get a job? I felt the first trickle of panic around the time my kids went back to school. They had returned to their normal routine. Where was my chance?

Then one day I opened my email expecting the same “inbox empty” message that had mocked me for months. This day was different: there was a response. The Planet wanted to talk to me! I was even more excited and promptly contacted the office to schedule an interview.

The phone interview fueled my excitement, followed shortly by an in-person meeting. I walked into the office and was immediately impressed. This was not your normal corporate land of cubicles — this had style. I felt an energy I knew I wanted to be a part of. After I had what I hoped would be the best interview of my life, I waited patiently for next steps. It came a few days later when I had the opportunity to meet with the director and further explain why I felt this company simply could not live without me. I walked out, sure this would be my new corporate digs. I was so confident that I immediately started planning my first-day outfit.

Given the holiday season, the actual “welcome” took a little longer than expected, so I was anxious to hear if I had finally made it back into the productive work force. As I was waiting, I got a call from my old employer out of the blue with the possibility of going back to work in a different department. Not my dream job by any means, but it was a job. And I felt vindicated. They had made a mistake in letting me go.

And then I received an offer letter from The Planet. I was at a crossroads. Two paths awaited my decision that would forever change my destiny. One was well traveled and familiar; the other bright and shiny and shrouded in mystery. I had some serious contemplating to do. I talked with my family and weighed the pros and cons of both. Enlightenment often comes from the most unexpected places. My son, with all his ten-year-old wisdom chimed in: “Mom, your last company betrayed you and that is not good. The Planet needs you!” Now, how was I going to argue with that?

I immediately accepted the offer with The Planet, and the day I started knew it was the best decision I had ever made.

In my short tenure I’ve learned that one of our core values is about passion for the business and for our customers, and those “aha” moments come every day. The team here at The Planet offers an immediate feeling that I belong , and they are glad I finally made it.

I may have traded my thirteen years for 42 days, but the rewards are already priceless. I am proud to be part of this company and look forward to work every day.

I still think this is one of the coolest offices around. I gaze onto downtown Houston with a smile on my face. It is so much more than just a job — it’s a true sense of belonging. When I attend meetings and get to hear about the great things that we are working on, I am thrilled to be a part of it. It is a new horizon that seems endless in opportunities. I am still in awe of the massive amount of knowledge that sits behind these glass and steel walls.

Just like Columbus explored his new world, I am navigating my very own Planet. Although I doubt seriously he had to worry about throughput and bandwidth on his voyage across the Atlantic Ocean.

-Tracy

Smack dab in the middle of downtown Houston’s theater district sits the somewhat ambiguous – and intriguing – structure we call The Planet HQ. Just walking into the place is an awe-inspiring undertaking. It’s an old conference center that has been completely renovated with offices, conference rooms and catwalks. At this very moment, if I look to the right I see a neon blue-lit Ferris wheel spinning at the Aquarium restaurant complex across the road, and I can’t help but feel a little intimidated by the environment.

I recently joined The Planet as a Sr. Technical Support Specialist, so part of the intimidation might be the “new job” aspect. The place looks nice and the people seem great, so there has to be a catch. I’ve been around the block in the IT industry’s call centers and their ilk, and my honest expectation was to be hurled into the important, but somewhat soul-sucking, role of being a nameless cog in a corporate machine. That isn’t the case at all here.

I’m amazed by the depth of effort each of The Planet’s departments puts into interconnectivity. Yes, I answer phones, take care of customer concerns and work on servers, but what makes the real difference is the fact that everyone – and I mean everyone – has the opportunity to participate in the inner workings of The Planet as a whole.

My primary focus is helping our customers get the results they want, and at the same time, I have the opportunity to research, develop and contribute to every aspect of The Planet’s business. If I think something could be done better and have an idea on how to fix it, I won’t be dropping a card into a bottomless suggestion box … I’ll be contacting the person in charge – even up to the CEO – and presenting it myself. From what I’ve witnessed, those recommendations are taken seriously. Employees are empowered to make their jobs better and make customers happier. That’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen before.

I’m still pretty new here, and the natural intimidation I felt when I first walked into this building hasn’t completely worn off. But as I start to feel a little more comfortable, I can’t help but be proud that I have the opportunity to work with a company that treats its employees the way The Planet does. Not only does the environment give me the enthusiasm to do what needs to be done, but I honestly believe this approach will take the company to the top. If you ask me, that’s the kind of company I want to be a part of.

This may all sound like a PR spiel, but I can’t think of any other way to be more honest about my impressions as a first-month employee entering the fray. In the coming months, I hope to elaborate more on some of the actual operations happening here and talk about some of the services we’re building and providing. There’s definitely some exciting stuff in the works, and I’m looking forward to diving in head-first and giving you all a sneak peek.

-Ryan

Since Halloween falls on a Saturday this year, The Planet’s annual Boo Bash is happening today. As you can see from our archives, there are a lot of creative people around here, and when a costume contest challenge is issued, you’re bound to get some interesting results. I’ve already seen a fully costumed Ghostbuster, a bumble bee, and about 45 people – including our CEO and CFO – dressed as Todd Mitchell. They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, so Todd must feel VERY flattered.

We will post our costumed competitors on The Planet Flickr for all to see, and you can post a comment here to vote for your favorites. Click the picture of “Todd” below to go directly to the Boo Bash 2009 album.

To let you share in today’s costuming, we’ve got a present for you. As a part of our fundraising efforts to support the American Heart Association, we printed shirts for employees who donate. The shirt design has been so popular internally that I made it into a few wallpapers that you can use:

Versions Available:
Dual-Monitor Setup (2560 x 1024)
Single Monitor – Server Only (1280 x 1024)
Single Monitor – “You Got Served” Only (1280 x 1024)

After you get your desktop suited up in its new costume, remember to vote for your favorite Boo Bash 2009 entrant in the comment section below.

Trick or Treat!

-Kevin

The year is winding down and the holidays are around the corner. As a nice reward for a year of hard work, the big bosses decided we’d have fantastic holiday parties in both Houston and Dallas welcoming our families, friends and business associates to The Planet. Thus The Planet Holiday Festival was born.

Tuesday was the Houston party at headquarters downtown. We had tons of activities for the entire family. You could hear Santa’s “ho ho ho” and children’s squeals all over the building.

Outside we had snow! Yes, it did snow in Houston – but that was the day after the party. On party day, we imported it. We had a fun snow pile for snowball fights and a great big snow hill to slide down. I can honestly say the big kids had just as much fun as the little ones.

Santa was a big hit. He got everyone’s gift requests, posed for pictures and brought smiles to everyone’s faces. We were all very thankful that he could take time out of his busy schedule to visit our little soirée.

CEOs have holiday wishes, too!

Just like little girls do.

There was food everywhere! Kid-friendly snacks like pizza and chicken nuggets were available in the break room with more “adult-friendly” fare fair in the Bayou Room and out on the patio.

Other activities include face-painting, balloon animals and gingerbread men cookie decorating, along with a professional photographer who was on hand to take family photos.

Like father …

Like son.

Big kids!

Here is a shot from the professional photographer of a few of us in the Marketing department. Go figure … of course we’d be the ones to do a group shot and ham it up!

By the end of the night, I saw lots of little ones crying because they were tired and didn’t want to leave while very happy parents waited for their cars. It was a wonderful party that really showcased what the employees of this company really mean to senior management. This is a fantastic place to work, and this is just one of the examples of it!

Happy Holidays, everyone!

-Ali

For more party photos visit The Planet Flickr page.

Dec 12, 2007: The Planet Day. The day we debuted our new office space to employees, colleagues, customers and friends. The day we finally saw the new place we’d call home, and the beginning of a new and exciting chapter for The Planet.

We captured the events on film — the speeches, the awards, the ribbon cutting… lunch. (mmmm, lunch.) From that we’ve made a little montage of the day — the 2 minute and 30 second version if you will. We highlighted pieces of Doug’s speech, shots of the office, but most of all, the people who work here. At the end of the day, that’s what matters. The people make this company what it is. We work hard because we believe in what we are doing for our customers and for this industry as a whole. We enjoy what we do and where we do it. That’s The Planet difference. It shows through our work, the products we offer, the services we provide and the pride we take in our company.

CEO Doug Erwin often illustrates his ideal work environment with one simple phrase: Yabba Dabba Doo! He wants his employees to jump out of bed every morning ready to go with their feet hitting the ground running just like Fred Flintstone.

Here’s a glimpse of what makes this place so special. Yabba Dabba Doo, indeed.

-Ali

P.S. Here’s the YouTube link for your embedding pleasure: The Planet Day on YouTube