Have you caught the madness yet??? It is starting to go around! This week we rolled out our awesome new CK stickers and it has been quite fun seeing where these things are popping up, not only in the office but with our customers as well! Our staff has gotten very creative in showcasing the stickers, but so have some of you.  We have gotten a few pics of the stickers showing up on cars, phones, and even their children’s toys…haha! If you got a sticker already, please send us a pic of it “in action”, we would love to see how you are showing your CK spirit!

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This was a very exciting week for our leadership team here at CK!  Each of them graduated from the 2013 Lifework Leadership Program!  Lifework’s vision revolves around raising up a generation of business leaders who cross vocational, denominational, and racial lines to transform the minds and hearts of their companies, churches, and communities.  Our CEO, Craig Haynie, graduated from the program in 2012 and saw the impact that the lessons learned from Lifework would have on not only the way we do business, but on our staff, customers and our community.  He felt that it was important for the leadership team, as a whole, to experience this phenomenal life-changing event.  They have all put in a lot of hard work to make it through the program. Congrats to each of them!

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We started using our newly designed CK boxes this week as well.  We wanted to be good stewards of our resources and hold off on using the new boxes until we got near the end of the old logo’ed box supply, and that time has arrived! Be on the lookout for one of the new boxes coming to you with your next order! (Plus, will get one of those nifty little stickers too!)

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It is just a week full of new things around here! (It never gets dull!) This week we rolled out some design tweaks to our homepage.  We are always trying to keep the customers in mind when we start making tweaks and figuring out new ways of presenting not only our products but the business.  With that in mind, we have moved some of our most popular products and categories front and center on the homepage in a more visually appealing way, as well as keeping our personality intact. We hope this will help get people, both new and returning visitors, to what they want and are searching for more quickly.

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Well, another big congrats was in order this week as well! Jonathan Stover, our Product Management Team Leader, married his sweetheart this past Saturday! It was a beautiful, rustic outdoor wedding.  It was great seeing two people who are so in love walk down this path.

Ok, so enough of the lovey, dovey stuff…while Stover was on his honeymoon on the beach in Mexico, we decided to bring the beach back to him when he returns to the office next Monday. We gave him a little tropical hangout spot at his desk; including sun, water, sand (yes, real sand), and even some of the local wildlife – which decided to make use of the location to do a little sunbathing themselves!  In all seriousness, we are so happy for him and his new bride!

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Random pic of the week…

This stuff is AMAZING!  If you have not tried the new Avocado Lime Ranch dressing from Chick-fil-A, you are missing out.  Seriously, I am eating this stuff on just about everything – chicken biscuits, sandwiches, eggs, french fries, etc. This stuff is addicting! I am not the only one here at the CK office that has embraced this beautiful creation! (Chick-fil-A did not ask us to promote this, but heck if they will send us a whole case of this stuff, I will shout it from the mountaintops!) I actually had some of it at both breakfast and lunch today – I think I have a problem…

]]> http://www.cablesandkits.com/blog/2013/05/our-awesome-week-in-review-5-17-2013/feed/ 0 http://www.cablesandkits.com/blog/2013/05/our-awesome-week-in-review-5-3-2013/ http://www.cablesandkits.com/blog/2013/05/our-awesome-week-in-review-5-3-2013/#comments Fri, 03 May 2013 19:46:38 +0000 Jason Gazaway http://www.cablesandkits.com/blog/?p=1298

We had the privilege of being a part of the 2013 Pinnacle Small Business Awards last Friday. CablesAndKits was selected as one of the Top 25 Small Businesses our of the 150 businesses that were nominated this year.  It was a phenomenal experience for our owners, Craig and Christin Haynie, as well as the CK team.  It was very humbling being at the ceremony with such amazing, successful businesses that have shown significant growth and innovation over the past year.  We heard some great stories while there!

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This week we wrapped up the redesign of our new conference room, which used to be our breakroom – we moved that to the warehouse and made it bigger! (View that blog post here.)  We are very happy with the way everything turned out.  The final touch was the new addition of the CK sign on the wall, which drastically changed the feel of the room.  We have already put the room to good use and we are amazed at how we could have possibly lived without it before.

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This past week we announced another promotion of one of our rock star team members. Martin Dyhr was promoted to Senior Account Manager in our Sales department. Here is a little bit about Martin and his new position from Martin himself – “I am like a hybrid, but not a Prius! I do sell to key accounts but now I am responsible for managing my dept. I am also cultivating talent within our inside sales team to grow them into becoming end users. I support the overall business development with our account sales in general as well including the formation of certain standard operating procedures within quoting and outbound sales.” – Please join us in congratulating Martin!

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Another VERY exciting activity we have had going on this week is the filming of our very first CK Intro video, along with our friends at Mighty 8th Media.  There has been tons of activity around the office with lining people up to speak, setting up for B roll shooting, and then having a little fun as well. (Which we all know is at the core of who we are, so it had to be in the video!) It was both inspiring and hilarious to listen to some of the responses to the questions that were being asked.  The questions ran the gambit from “What is your favorite core value?” and “What do you like best  about working at CK?” all the way to, “Star Trek or Star Wars”  and “Walking Dead or Game of Thrones?”. It really has been a great experience! We are looking forward to seeing the finished product and being able to share it with you. Stay Tuned!

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We wrapped up April and kicked off May with a “healthy” cookout, sponsored by our CK Wellness Team. We had some awesome food, some was very healthy and some not so healthy food, that would probably be considered more comfort food.  It was all delicious! It was a great time of fellowship across all the teams in the company, as well just a break from the daily norm around the office. It would have been a perfect day if the weather had decided to co-operate, it ended up being a little cloudy, windy and cool. We didn’t let that interrupt our good time though! We are already looking forward to our next “healthy” or “not-so-healthy” cookout!

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Random picture of the week!

(I did not pick this picture, but the marketing team thought it was cool shot.)

Basically, this is a glimpse into what happens when you walk into the marketing department unannounced without food or goodies to bribe us. (You get a Nerf gun pointed at ya!)

BuyBack Center

The CablesAndKits BuyBack Center allows you to sell back your old Cisco products and accessories while earning money towards new stuff. We know how quickly unused routers can turn into a makeshift art project. So, before you end up on the next episode of Hoarders, sell us your stockpiled gear and get cash or store credit.

The more you recycle, the more you save. Learn how you can benefit from our BuyBack Center today.

Recycling

It doesn’t take long for some networking equipment to become obsolete. You know how it is in the IT world…one day you’re in and the next you’re out.

So, we make a point to always recycle all of our unusable equipment, accessories, and power supplies through a recycling process that is certified by E-waste and R-2 recycling certification organizations only. This allows us to make room for new inventory, while also making sure these unusable Cisco products and accessories are properly disposed of.

On the office side of things, we recycle our cardboard boxes, pallets, papers, cans, and just about anything else that we can find around here when possible.

Refurbished Equipment

Maybe one of the most overlooked ways of “being green” is by purchasing and using used and refurbished equipment. When you purchase refurbished equipment you are reducing the amount of resources and materials that need to be consumed to make new parts and components for new equipment. Bet you didn’t know you were already being green by supporting the prolonged life of equipment that has already been manufactured, huh? You get to help the environment and save a little money at the same time!

This is something we take very seriously at the CK office.  Not only do we sell refurbished equipment, whenever possible, we purchase and use pre-owned equipment ourselves - from computers to monitors to phones to switches. That is another reason we can proudly stand behind our pre-owned networking products, we know how well they work from firsthand experience.

While these are just a few things, it’s important for us to take any small steps we can to ensure a brighter tomorrow for future generations.

Well, we started this week off with a bang! It was a very busy week. We had part 2 of our quarterly meeting to go over the financials for the previous quarter, but we had something else fun in store as well!  You have probably seen our little robot monkey hanging around in our emails, website, and print materials. The little fella has become a true part of the CK family and has fit right in quickly, but there has been one thing missing… a name! This week, the staff got to find out the name of the CK monkey (which they all voted on)  and hear his background story.  The guy is definitely a man…errr…monkey of mystery!  In celebration of the monkey finally getting his name  our President, Dave, led us in a toast of bananas and showed us how monkeys actually open and eat bananas - its not like you would think it would be!  We are very excited about his new name and we will be sharing it with the public very soon! Stay tuned!

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Something else we were very excited about releasing this week was our new navigation for the website. Our goal was to make it easier for you, the customer, to get to what you needed quicker.  We went through and re-categorized some of our product lines – like Fiber Cables, Ethernet, and  Cisco Equipment – to make a little more sense and then we moved those product lines to prime property out front on the website. We also wanted to draw a little more attention to our “CK Outlet” where we have some amazing deals week in and week out. Our hope is that we are able to continue to make smart, useful changes to our site to make your experience an awesome one every time you visit us.

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Let me start off by stating that having to talk about yourself in a blog is a little weird, at least for me.  So, let me keep this short and sweet. This week, CK publicly announced my promotion to Marketing Team Leader.  I am very blessed and humbled to take on this role in the company. (I feel like I am doing an acceptance speech…I would like to thank the Academy, director Steven Spielberg, etc…) In this new role I will be overseeing the Marketing & Branding department, along with the internal & external communications. I have an amazing team  to do all the work, umm…I mean to help me out with everything. Some very talented guys in photography and creative design.  Our goal is to continue to raise the bar when it comes to not only what we are communicating, but how we are communicating it.  It is gonna be a blast!

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No week would be complete around the CablesAndKits’ office without some kind of competition.  This week it was a scooter race.  You may remember a while back how I mentioned that scooters had become a normality around here.  It was only a matter of time before a contest would come about, and I imagine this will not be the last one.  We have some VERY competitive people around here (especially Kyle!) As you can imagine Kyle won and took his victory lap but it was not without controversy – pushing, smack talk, and even the “Loose Wheel Scandal of 2013″. But, we will let this one stay in the record books…for now.

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When we told the ladies in the Sales department to eat, sleep, and breath dollars, we didn’t think they would take it this far.  But, we sure do like their focus! Maybe sales by osmosis?

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Random CK picture of the week…

Here is a deer sticking its tongue out at you..

(Photo by Cris, our photographer.)

Well it was that time again, time for the Quarter 2 kick-off meeting! It is always a blast at these meetings…never a dull moment.  This time around we kicked it off with some Chick-fil-a biscuits and then everyone got ready to get to work and start “framing up” with their Home Depot aprons. This quarter our theme is Framing Up.  We have laid the foundations now we are starting to  build the walls around becoming Experts in Awesome.  We did a quick review of last quarter and what we were able to accomplish,  we also recognized our first set of Gold Star core value award winners for Q1:  It was a great meeting rolling out the plans for the quarter.  We are going to be busy, but our customers and community are going to reap the benefits!

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We had a crazy amount of birthdays and CK anniversary celebrations this week!  It was kind of nuts, but we sure do like to party around here.  We celebrated the birthdays of Deneise (Sales), Matt (IT), and Jonathan (Product Management); and the employment anniversaries of Jonathan (Warehouse), Cris (Photography), and Michelle (Sales). It is always interesting to see how each celebration goes, between the food, decorations and pranks.  The desk pictured above is Jonathan’s.  It was a slight hodge-podge of stuff from around the office. Happy birthday and congrats to each of you! We appreciate everything you do for CK, and we are strong because of you!

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Speaking of the birthday boy, Jonathan was promoted to Product Management Team Leader. We are very proud of Jonathan and thankful for everything he does and brings to the table here at CK.  He will be overseeing our combined Purchasing and Product Management department.  Leaning on his years of experience with networking equipment and the overall industry, we have full confidence that he will help us to continue to blaze the trails and open up new avenues for growth and product lines. Join us in congratulating Jonathan (and wish him a happy birthday while you are at it).

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And I will give you a “not-so awesome” part of this week in review. Here in Georgia we might not get the winters that the Northeast and Midwest get, but we get something that wreaks havoc  on our sinuses…POLLEN.  I personally think this stuff is pure evil, and I could probably find many people out there that would agree with me.  As you can see from the picture above this stuff coats everything (just imagine what it looks like in our lungs!) Our parking lot and even the CK car could not escape the yellow wonderland.  We included the pollen counts for reference. (140 is considered high) Thursday and Friday we hit the 3rd and 4th highest pollen counts on record for the area…yay us! Sniff…sniff…

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All the 80′s ladies…all the 80′s ladies…(sorry I know bad joke…but I give credit to Beyoncé).  Like, Ok, so, it is like 80′s Friday at CK!  We totally got the staff decked out in 80′s wear and 80′s tunes blasting around the office.  Kevin (Warehouse) decided to celebrate the 1880′s instead of the 1980′s.  Of course I think that look was still popular in the 1980′s as well…Rock Me Amadeus by Falco, anyone?  We have had Michael Jackson,  Bon Jovi, Journey, The Bangles, and Wham! playing so far.  Admit it, you are now in the mood to throw on some 80′s jams and enjoy your day!

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Added bonus… Me and Jonathan on a balloon bike (made by Kyle (Sales) – he has talent, huh?) Just shows the craziness of the week…Experts in Awesome or Awkward?

< Jeopardy music playing in the background>

Oh, you’re back! That didn’t take as long as I thought it would. It is an interesting question, huh? Sometimes it is difficult to pinpoint exactly why you buy from that store or company and then at other times it is as plain as day. There are so many factors to think about.

Now think about your business. With everything you are doing to run and maintain a successful business, time and energy are in short supply. We get that thought process. We also understand when it comes to finding your networking equipment and accessories you don’t really want to shop around. You want to find one place that offers exactly what you need at a competitive price.

But, you deserve so much more than that! At CablesAndKits, we go above and beyond what’s expected to offer you a trusted and reliable interaction every single time. Our core purpose is to positively impact the lives of others, so we go the extra mile to enhance our surrounding community while enriching the lives of the people we serve. It is all about forming those relationships that go beyond just a purchase or transaction…we are in this together and we want you to enjoy the ride just as much as we do!

You don’t have to just take our word for it, we back it up. Read the top 9 reasons (Yeah, we just had to be different!) why you should choose us for your next purchase and all of your networking equipment purchases in the future:

1. What YOU need, when YOU need it – CablesAndKits is one of the fastest growing, refurbished Cisco network equipment dealers in the US and one of the largest networking accessory stores in the world – Meaning you can trust we’ll have the equipment and accessories you need, when you need them, and at a great price!
2. We provide real-time inventory updates – You will always know exactly what we have in stock.  (No guessing games here!)
3. Every cabling purchase comes with a lifetime warranty – If something breaks, we send you a new one. In addition, we offer a 1-year warranty on all Cisco equipment, which is beyond the 90-day industry standard.
4. We offer same day shipping until 8pm EST – We know you don’t have time to mess around when you need a replacement part. (Time = Money)
5. We back-up our confidence with a 100% satisfaction guarantee and return policy – Because as we say here in Georgia, “if you ain’t happy, we ain’t happy!”
6. Most orders you place over $50 ship free – Because if you’re spending money with us, the least we can do is make it a little easier on your wallet. Who doesn’t want that? Some restrictions apply, click here for all the 411 on this.
7. You can actually make money by choosing to use our Buy Back Center – Sell us your old gear and earn cash or credit towards a new purchase.
8. We make networking cool and fun – Now who else can say that?! I mean, have you seen our office pranks, holiday parties and crazy Harlem Shake video? We’re nuts around here!
9. We’re experts in awesome – Why in the world would you want to work with anyone else? We strive to raise the bar and do what is right in every situation so that you, the customer, have the most remarkable – eh hem, AWESOME – experience you possible can have when you work with us!

Still not convinced? Try us out. Take a look around at what we have to offer. If you would like some help in looking around, be sure to contact one of our Awesome CK team members either by Live Chat, Email, or by Phone at 1-888-622-0223.

It can seem overwhelming to start a computer network. Whether you’re looking to create a network for your small business, home office, or the bunker in your back yard, it’s still intimidating.

But, if you break it down it’s actually much more manageable than it may appear. If you have the right tools, equipment and guidebook, it’s possible.

Let’s start with the basics. Why do you even need a computer network? Setting up a network is a good way to get more use out of your computers and peripherals. A single network allows you to use one Internet connection for all your devices. It also makes it easier to share files, printers and resources. Sounds useful, huh?

So, take a deep breath and let’s get started!

Cisco Networking Equipment

What equipment do you need when starting a computer network? Believe it or not, it involves a little more than just plugging in the monitor, closing your eyes, and crossing your fingers! Although that does help from time to time when dealing with technology.

Understanding what basic equipment you will need to set-up a computer network will make the process much easier. Don’t attempt to create a network until you’ve purchased all the equipment and accessories you may need, because all this will create is a huge headache and we don’t sell aspirin. (But, maybe we should….hmmm new business plan!)

With just a little effort and our awesome guidance, you’ll be up and running before you know it:

The top five things you will need to start your computer network include:

• Cisco routers
• Cisco security devices
• Ethernet network cables
• Cisco switches
• Wireless access points

Cisco Routers

One of the most important purchases you will make towards your computer network is a router. All networks need that integral first piece of the puzzle to get you started. And guess what? It’s the router!

Cisco routers are designed to fit a variety of voice, video, data, VOIP, Internet and local networking. They act as a bridge between your home network and the Internet. Some routers also have firewalls embedded to protect your network from threats and intrusions.

Routers come in a variety of sizes to accommodate the needs of a small business all the way to a multi-billion dollar corporation.

Let us help! Browse our affordable Cisco routers today.

Cisco Security Devices

If you’re worried about threats to your network, it’s not paranoia; your fears are totally justified… this time. <cue Twilight Zone music…> Many threats can have devastating effects, ranging from a network outage to information loss and your best bet is to prevent these attacks before they happen with Cisco security devices.

To create a high level of protection from impending doom against your network, you must build in security. To create a self-defending network you should install security devices. Each Cisco firewall is designed to secure and protect your network from outside threats and from having your information tampered with.

If you’re not sure your network really needs additional security measures, we recommend you still install a security appliance. It’s always better to be safe than sorry – just ask Sony about the time their Playstation network was hacked.

Check out our easy-to-install Cisco security devices.

Ethernet Network Cables

What good is a computer network without Ethernet cabling? Computers transmit data faster over a wired Ethernet connection than over a wireless connection. If you plan to transmit large multimedia files, it’s valuable to have these cables available. Basically, what we’re trying to say is… you need more of the blue wires!

So, how do you decide between Cat5e or Cat6 Ethernet cables? Let us break it down for you:

• Cat5e Ethernet cables – If you’ll be using devices that use Gigabit Ethernet, you need to use Cat5e. Typically, Cat5e cables are perfect for home, a small office, gaming consoles and computer networks.

• Cat6 Ethernet cables – One of the newest versions of network cabling, Cat6 cables are very similar to Cat5e, but consistently deliver 1 Gigabit Ethernet. These cables work for large networks, data centers, offices, and in situations where a Cat6 Certified Network is required.

We have a wide variety of sizes and colors of Ethernet cables

Cisco Switches

You will need a switch to be able to connect your computers to the network. Most switches have between 8 ports and 48 ports; this makes it easy to find a switch with the right quantity of ports to connect your computers. If you think you will be adding additional computers or printers to your network at any point, consider a switch with enough ports to handle the additional devices.

This is your chance to show off to your friends,”Yeah, my computer network has way more ports than yours does, jealous?”

Take a look at our site for an affordable selection of Cisco switches and accessories.

Wireless Access Points

Sick of getting tangled up in cords? They sure do get in the way sometimes.  And seriously, who wants to run an Ethernet cable from your server room all the way to the Blu-ray player you have hidden in your office? Get economical with Cisco’s Aironet access points and bridges. These access points offer high performance and security for all your personal and professional applications. Whether you’re a business of one, or a business of thousands, there is an access point to suit your needs.

Let us play matchmaker and help fix you up with the right Cisco wireless access point to suit your needs.

Where to Shop for Cisco Equipment

Many large retailers offer Cisco equipment for purchase. However, they may not all offer the wide selection and options that we do. It’s important for us to accommodate the needs of homeowners, small and medium business owners, as well as large corporations.

Plus, we update our stock regularly and we offer live chat to help walk you through your purchasing decisions. So when it comes to creating your computer network, give us a chance to “wow” you and give you an awesome experience!

Still not convinced? Check out our Top 9 Reasons to buy from CablesAndKits today! You will be glad you did. You might just learn something about us you didn’t know or expect! (Go ahead and click it, you know you want to!)

Well, I figured I would start it out with a bang this week! Part of the office celebrated CK Preppy Day this week. Trust me when I say these guys took this seriously and it was an all out competition.  One guy, Kyle (one of our Sales Account Managers), decide he was not dressed good enough so he went home and had a “costume change” and brought back his golf clubs to kick it up a notch, and then to trump everyone else he went and did a prep photo shoot at the lake.  Kyle did win best overall…Congrats Kyle! Around CK it is either go big or go home, even when it comes to CK Preppy Day.

We have this new fad in our warehouse that started up this week.  It seems most of the guys back there have acquired scooters and are using them to get around – not just in the warehouse but everywhere! One of the guys, Daniel - our Shipping Team Lead, comes flying in every morning on his scooter and swings through the front office.  The speed at which things are getting done in the warehouse has drastically increased.

Another “awesome” reason I love working at CablesAndKits is our heart and passion for the community and helping others.  This week, actually today, we are doing a blood drive – the first of many! (Yep, that’s me in the lower left hand corner…with my blood in the picture above me.) It is so cool to know that what we are doing today is helping and saving lives of tons of people that we might not ever meet. We had a lot of people here at the office that had never given blood but were brave enough to step up to the plate.  Very proud of them!  We would like to encourage you, if you are able, to find your local blood bank and donate and help save a life.

As we observe Good Friday and head into celebrating Easter weekend, our CK “Peeps” wanted to be sure we wished you a happy Easter!  Here are a few behind the scene shots of our conditioning peeps working hard on cleaning up and testing a refurbished switch that came in through our CK Buy Back program. Click HERE for the full photo! (No peeps were hurt in the making of this picture). In all seriousness, our whole team would like to wish you a Happy Easter. We hope and pray you have an enjoyable weekend with your family and friends!

This past weekend we had a few of our purchasing/sales guys take a little “roadtrip” down to Florida for an industry event in the CK mobile.  They left at 5-dark-thirty (before any of us were up!) and drove all day. It was cool though we had a cool little 10% OFF coupon code on the back of the car – gotta take advantage of any billboard we have!  The drive down seemed to inspire Carlos to wear his driving hat, but drive Jonathan to hide and sleep the whole way. (Thanks Geoff for the incriminating pictures!) There was a casualty on the trip though.  Carlos’ iPhone 5 was having a great time on the trip until it took a dive off the table. Poor Carlos…what’s this, your 4th one?

We also celebrated Geoff’s (from our Purchasing Department) birthday! As with most birthday’s around here, his desk space was appropriately decorated.  This would not be complete without a playful balloon with a “Yolo” Geoff stick figure on one side and a picture of Taylor Swift freaking out over his birthday on the other. I mean seriously, who wouldn’t freak out over Geoff’s birthday?

Look at all those beautiful colored power cables! Nifty, huh? This week we announced the rollout of a new product line we are carrying to help our customers transform and organize their networking closets and server rooms into works of art! We got all kinds of lengths, colors, connectors, and gauges. Hop on over and check them out!

March 21st was a self proclaimed CK Puppet Day. (Yeah, it gets strange around here sometimes, but we wouldn’t trade it for anything). We had all kinds of hand puppets show up – a Moose puppet for our office Mountie, Mr Boo the Clown puppet, aliens, robots, self-portraits (Looks like Brian, right?), and even the CK Monkey made his appearance as a puppet.  Got to keep people guessing around here.

Finally, CablesAndKits received some amazing news this week.  We have been selected as one of the 2013 Top 25 Pinnacle Small Business Award winners, presented by the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce and  The Atlanta Journal Constitution.  (Of course after the above post about the CK Puppet Day they might reconsider.  Haha!)  We are completely humbled by this recognition.  As a company we strive to excel and grow in not only business, but to grow as well in innovation, vision, and community service. For me personally,  it is such an awesome blessing to be a part of a team that seeks to do the right things, to raise the bar, and to serve the community around us.

You remember us talking about LEGO being so kind and giving a few LEGO construction guys to us to use with our yearly business theme (go HERE to see info about the theme), well we passed the little guys out this week to the staff, along with our new Core Value cards.  It seems that, unbeknownst to us, the little LEGO guys have made themselves right at home around office and settled into a daily routine of doing typical office things around here like fishing in the fish tank, bench pressing cars, taking naps, and umm…other “normal tasks”…sigh. I think they fit in very well around here.

Speaking of Core Values, we rolled out another cool thing around the office this week. We now have a Core Values – Wall of Fame.  The basis for this is that anyone in the company can submit the name of a co-worker, along with the reason why, to be recognized for something they have done during the week/month that lines up or represents one of our Core Values which are: Do the Right Thing, Serve Others, Raise the Bar, and Balance Life and Enjoy the Journey.  It has been really cool to see people encouraging and recognizing each other for things they are doing, and it seems to be picking up more and more speed every day that goes by.

For a while now, it has been a running joke in the office about Brian not having a laptop and not being able to be “mobile”. Well, today was the day that he got his brand spanking new laptop.  We had worked hard to keep it a complete surprise for him. Something like this could not go unnoticed and we never do anything halfway around here, so we had a party to celebrate.  You can join in and view the (rough) video of the parade and the celebration HERE! Be sure to wish Brian well with his “new” technology!

One of the ladies (Julie) in our Product Management department brought in something that I can truthfully say we have never had here at CK before – a MRE package.  MRE stands for Meal, Ready-to-Eat.  (More info HERE.)  Pretty much these things are used by the military for soldiers to eat when other food is not readily available.  Sounds appetizing, huh? Well, it turned out to be pretty decent.  (At least that is what they said, I didn’t get to try it.)  The “kool-aid” was good and the food wasn’t as bad as you might think it could be.