Finding Family Within My First Job
A little more than a year ago, I started my first full-time job post-grad as the Community Manager at Container Yard.
I remember how excited I was for my first full day of work. I showed up ten minutes early (that means a lot because I value sleep) eager to start my new role. I remember celebrating with friends and family as I told them about my opportunity to serve as the "manager" for an amazing space filled with creative and collaborative people.
What I wasn't prepared for when I began this adventure was the amazing friendships and mentorships that would result from this role. It has been both refreshing and rewarding as members of Container Yard and of course, our Yard Boss, Stacy Wellborn, have poured into me allowing me to grow both personally and professionally.
Container Yard has opened up the door for amazing opportunities over this past year. From being asked to serve on the PRCA Mobile Chapter board, to getting accepted into Mobile United's Connect Mobile class of 2020 to ultimately being asked to serve as the Account Manager for a marketing firm in Nashville Tennessee. Never did I imagine after 23 years (my entire life) of growing up and loving Mobile and the Gulf Coast that I would move six hours North, but thanks to the leadership and guidance I have received while working at Container Yard I am now going to pursue the opportunity of my lifetime (thus far, because well I am only 23).
As I depart from this port city, and more importantly this role there are a lot of things and people that I am going to miss. I will undoubtedly miss the sandy shores of Dauphin Island and Orange beach. I will miss all of my favorite local eateries and bars. I will miss the weekly happy hours at the Yard (well, the ones that happened pre-COVID anyway). What I will miss more than those things is the second family that I found at the Yard. All of the smiling faces filled with words of wisdom, stories that make you laugh maybe a little too loud for a workspace and of course my furry friends that tend to frequent the office space.
As I transition into this new role far away from my normal (I had to throw it in there since we are all tired of the term "new normal"), I want to express a huge amount of gratitude to all of the mentors I have claimed throughout the past few years. Then there is Stacy Wellborn, the individual responsible for making me fall in love with all aspects of marketing, bubbles and who taught me that in the end regardless of roadblocks and "I wish I would have" moments it is more rewarding to say at least I did it.
So, cheers to my family at the Yard, along with all of the crazy cool people who have impacted my life, and cheers to this new adventure that will undoubtedly open lots of doors itself.
- Mark
