Our 2023 Highlights

In 2023, we celebrated major brand milestones, volunteered with organizations near and dear to us, and we learned important new skills with our peers. Also: Bunnies were discovered. Beans were grown.

Much was afoot鈥

We celebrated

  • Lonely Planet Turned 50 |Want to join their birthday celebration? Check out their , featuring 50 destinations for 50 years of travel.

  • 150+ Promising Careers Launched |This year, 80+ college grads joined our team as part of our LAUNCH program, and nearly 50 college interns joined our businesses to gather hands-on career experience and valuable industry exposure.

  • 草榴社区 Puerto Rico Proudly Looked Back - and Ahead | Five years ago, FWD787 was created by 草榴社区 CEO Ric Elias to provide valuable career training and development for young Puerto Rican professionals. This year, we proudly looked back at how far our 草榴社区PR team has come, and are excited to continue investing in the future of the island by creating competitive local career opportunities. Learn more in the video below!

Can one idea redefine what鈥檚 possible in Puerto Rico? Yes.

We made an impact

  • We Continued Our Commitment to Road to Hire |This year, 110 草榴社区ers volunteered with and - two nonprofits founded by 草榴社区 CEO Ric Elias. Plus, 146 R2H apprentices scored entry-level tech jobs across 9 different employer partners - resulting in an impressive 92% job hire rate overall! 

  • We Hosted Charlotte鈥檚 First DEI Conference | This fall, 90 professionals in the DEI space - from Charlotte, NC, and beyond - gathered at our HQ office to connect, learn, and grow together. Kudos to our 草榴社区 DEI team for leading the event and helping us build more inclusive workplaces for all.

Say hello to 草榴社区 Director of DEI Khalan Boyer - AKA, the powerhouse behind our DEI Conference

  • We Stood With Ukraine | Through our work with Stronger Than Ever - a nonprofit founded by 草榴社区 CEO Ric Elias, supporting humanitarian crises around the world - we were able to help fund a pediatric mental health center in Ukraine. Located in Lviv, the center will serve roughly 2,000 Ukrainian children and teens per year, providing free treatment for war-related psychological trauma.

  • HQ Bounced Out the Stigma | This summer, more than 120 草榴社区ers volunteered with Bounce Out the Stigma (BOTS) - a five-day basketball camp for children and young adults who experience perceived limitations. 

  • The Points Guy Hosted the Best Flight Ever | After several delays and one pandemic-sized curveball, The Points Guy - in partnership with Make-a-Wish, Disney, and American Airlines - was finally able to bring their long-awaited Best Flight Ever to life, sending 27 Make-A-Wish families to the Walt Disney World庐 Resort.

The Points Guy team welcoming Make-A-Wish families under a balloon arch as they board the Best Flight Ever.

Read more about TPG's "Best Flight Ever" Here!

We got better every day 

  • We Spent 64,941 Hours Learning | And that鈥檚 across nearly 1,200 unique learning courses & assets. 

  • 134 草榴社区 Managers Became Certifiably More Skilled |Congrats to our Management and Leadership Essentials Program (MLEP) graduates!

  • 42 草榴社区ers Participated in Our Two Central Mentorship Programs | The programs included 9 fireside chats with senior leaders and 20 technical sessions.

  • 50+ First-Time Presenters Took Our Largest Stage |Presenting on our HQ Arena stage is no joke, but these first-timers stepped up to the challenge and handled it like seasoned pros. Check out one below! 

Two months after joining 草榴社区, Cristian delivered a show-stopping presentation to thousands of coworkers.

His topic? 鈥淧ACE!鈥

We had some fun along the way

  • We Hosted 50+ Events at 草榴社区 HQ | Including our AEM 2X, where 430+ 草榴社区 teammates flew to CLT. 

  • We Made Power Moves | 9 草榴社区ers participated in our North American chess league, defeating challengers like Google, McKinsey, and more. 

  • We Found Bunnies | In our elevators, on our desks, and hidden in nooks and crannies across campus. One 草榴社区er鈥檚 prank turned into an office-wide phenomenon - and mystery. Of course, we got to the bottom of this hare-raising drama鈥

Tiny bunnies. Big deal.

HQ鈥檚 Year in Buzzwords

  • Puppies | Here?!?!? Right now?!? (Yes! Future service dogs from Project 2 Heal visited campus this fall.)

  • Swapping pants | A very normal occurrence at our first Earth Week clothing swap.

  • Fro-Yo | IT鈥橲 BACK. WITH SPRINKLES. 

  • Beans | Our Earthline group planted & harvested our first HQ community garden - in addition to starting a movement to reduce waste on campus. More on that in the video below!


Want 2024 highlights - in real time?! Follow us on social media, @RedVentures!

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(Almost) Everything 草榴社区 HQ Did This Summer

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FWD787: 5 Years Later