Andy and I just got back from the annual Quad/Graphics “winter party.” No kids, just adults, free food, free booze, live music, pool, darts, and other random games. They set it all up in one of the warehouses in Sussex. The highlight of the evening is the “State of the Company” address by the president, Joel. The party is worth it for the food, drinks, and the speech. Because that speech makes you proud to be part of this company. It also makes you realize how huge this “local” company really is.
Joel listed some of the magazines/catalogs that have just signed new contracts:
- In Style
- J. Crew
- National Geographic
- LL Bean
- Land’s End
- Newsweek
- Playboy
No, we don’t get free subscriptions to any of these. But they do sell some in the cafeteria, and if I’m lucky, Andy can get his hands on a copy of Spanish Glamour magazine!
The highlight of the evening, besides the Saz’s mozzarella marinara and tasty cream puffs, was Joel’s entrance. The theme was “Full Throttle” and had a racing theme. People were invited to dress in their favorite racing clothing. I took it as an opportunity to wear jeans! Joel came in for his speech, driving a Grand Prix style race car. No, not a Pontiac! An actual race car that he drove around the perimeter of the warehouse, then up a ramp onto the stage. Pretty awesome. And I don’t like racing very much!
We spent a good amount of time wandering around, hoping to see someone familiar. We did see our friend’s sister, and “New Guy” that Andy works with, so it wasn’t a total bust. But Andy’s realizing he needs to make some more friends (now that he’s branching out into a pretty independent position) so we have people to sit with next year!