bellingham Archives - Faithlife Blog

June 11, 2015 By Ray Deck III | Leave a Comment

Introducing BellinghamWins.com

Faithlife moved to Bellingham in 2002 with 45 employees. Now, more than 420 employees occupy Faithlife’s five buildings on the downtown campus. As the space Faithlife occupies has grown, so have the ways it invests in the community.

That’s why Faithlife is proud to introduce BellinghamWins.com—a site that celebrates the city that we call home.

“We’re excited about what’s happening downtown. It’s really become a vibrant spot,” said CEO Bob Pritchett.

Bellingham is perfectly situated on a sheltered bay below a regal mountain at the gateway to spectacular islands.

Bellingham is surrounded by natural beauty, productive farms, and two world-class cities in two different countries.

Bellingham hosts a significant university, a well-educated workforce, and global businesses.

Bellingham has two vibrant downtowns and a waterfront redevelopment opportunity like nothing else in the world.

(Photos by Nick Kelly & Patrick Fore at BellinghamWins.com)

You are welcome to use all of the content and photographs that appear at BellinghamWins.com under the Creative Commons Attribution license.

Subscribe to Bellingham Wins to learn what it’s like to live in our town, and to hear about the ways Faithlife is investing in our community.

May 18, 2015 By Ryan Nelson | 2 Comments

Bellingham’s Spin on Bike to Work Day

Every year, Bellingham participates in Bike to Work Day. Last Friday, hundreds of people throughout the city celebrated alternative transportation together and bonded over snacks when they arrive at one of the 24 stations set up for anyone who biked, walked, carpooled, or took the bus to work. The event is open to anyone, whether you bike to work every day, or you’re just getting your rusty wheels out of the shed.

The annual community event is hosted by Whatcom Smart Trips—a partnership between local government, public agencies, employers, and schools to promote alternative transportation.

Local businesses rally together and set up stations throughout the city to encourage those who participate with treats and applause.

Glenn Gervais, a developer at Faithlife, has participated in Bike to Work Day since 2006. He usually bikes to work two or three times a week during the summer. Glenn races year round—from triathlons to cyclocross to mountain biking, there’s always something to do with a bike in Bellingham.

“I love that within a 5–10 minute ride from the core downtown area you can be on some world class trails at Galbraith, or on a county road with light traffic,” Glenn says.

Faithlife goes the extra mile to encourage healthy activities like biking. Glenn says, “I love how supportive Faithlife is of the biking community with our bike shop, indoor parking—it’s out of the rain and there’s no need to carry a lock—and gift cards for people who participate in Bike to Work Day.”

Jon Deviny, a Faithlife designer, participated in the official Bike to Work Day for the first time this year, though he usually bikes to work once or twice a week.

“It’s a fun way to redeem my commute for a little exercise and it’s fun to slow down and see things I normally pass by in a car,” he says.

Jake Mailhot and Aaron Gill — Aaron Gill (left) biked just over two miles and Jake Mailhot (right) biked about a mile and a half.

Living in Bellingham, if you don’t bike regularly yourself, there’s always someone you know who does. Jon says, “Bellingham has the most active bike community I’ve ever experienced. There are bikes everywhere!”

Two brothers, Taylor and Jeromy Blomquist, rode the farthest of any Faithlife employees. The duo made a 12.6 mile trip together from Ferndale.

Jeromy says, “Every time we rode by a Bike to Work station, everyone got really excited and cheered. A guy even ran out and handed us a granola bar while we rode.”

Altogether, 40 Faithlife employees participated, and they rode over 60 miles in total.

The final stop for Faithlife employees was Faithlife’s freshly established food truck patio. The station was cohosted by the Pickford Film Center, Kulshan Cycles, and Faithlife.

Fred Sprinkle helped break in the new food truck patio at the Bike to Work Day station.

Starting this week, this new space is reserved for local food trucks to serve up an assortment of delicious foods.

Want to be here for the next Bike to Work Day? Faithlife is hiring!

December 30, 2014 By Pam Bauthues | Leave a Comment

Women in Business: Anne-Marie Faiola

Last week, Faithlife began a new speaker series, women in business. In this series, local business leaders will provide new perspectives and insights into the business world and offer advice based on the lessons they’ve learned.

Anne-Marie Faiola, CEO and founder of Bramble Berry in Bellingham, Washington, kicked off the series with an enthusiastic look at her roller-coaster journey as an entrepreneur. Her story is one of persistence: after beginning her career as a corrections officer, she quit her job to turn her hobby—soapmaking—into a means of supporting herself. She did just that, and 17 years later, she has several successful companies to her name. She has also been recognized as Washington State’s Businesswoman of the Year in 2009 and Washington State’s Businessperson of the Year in 2010.

Her business, Bramble Berry, has become a thriving, multi-million-dollar enterprise, supporting nearly 100 employees and growing. Her passion is infectious, and it’s clear that she loves what she does.

Success didn’t happen overnight, and Anne-Marie’s hardships and achievements taught her valuable lessons along the way.

Here are Anne-Marie’s top five keys to success:

1. Success is not a straight line.

Anne-Marie’s story has its fair share of ups and downs, from going into major debt to grossing millions of dollars each year, but one of the most important things she learned was to be adaptable and flexible as her business progressed. When something wasn’t working, sometimes all it took to solve the problem was admitting failure and moving past it or pivoting her direction.

2. It’s OK to dream big.

When Bramble Berry was in its early stages—and even today as it grows—Anne-Marie said it was crucial to be “delusionally optimistic.” Remaining happy and positive is key to overcoming challenges that arise, and being optimistic is an intentional choice. She noted that this is especially helpful when building a team—it’s important to lay a solid foundation and encourage new members in order for everyone to work toward the same goal.

3. Surround yourself well.

As Anne-Marie said, you’re the sum total of the five people you spend the most time with. Anne-Marie recommended choosing people who uplift you and help you out during rough patches rather than those who are unsupportive or negative. She also suggested building a network and finding a single mentor you can call on when you need them most.

4. Learn to say no.

When sharing a story about creating a large volume of product for a local grocery-store chain, Anne-Marie said with a hint of sarcasm, “I told them yes, because you always say yes to opportunity!” However, she went on to explain that saying yes to an opportunity means saying no to something else, and vice versa. It’s critical to set boundaries for yourself so you can focus on the tasks that keep you on track toward your ultimate goals.

5. Have a plan.

Anne-Marie has always found that creating and sticking to a plan is foundational for success, even cautioning, “Not planning is planning to fail.” Her decisions are backed by data, which helps her see when the plan needs to be altered. Setting realistic, attainable goals helps her see where she’s going and how she’s going to get there, and living out those goals in her daily actions helps her progress one step at a time.

In the coming weeks, we look forward to sharing more lessons from local leaders—stay tuned!

Does Faithlife sound like your kind of workplace? Come join us! Check out our current career openings and apply today.

December 17, 2014 By Ryan Nelson | 5 Comments

Faithlife’s Biggest Christmas Party Yet

Last Saturday, Faithlife took a trip up to the Semiahmoo resort, near Canada, for our annual Christmas party. The dress code was “as nice as you like,” and the evening was a festive mix of classy and casual.

max — Max Morin says this holiday sweater is actually threaded with real tinsel.

Over the last four years, Faithlife has doubled in size. With that kind of growth our list of possible venues near Bellingham grows smaller each year. Last year, we had a little over 300 employees, and we gathered in one central room with our guests. This year, the Faithlife Christmas party sprawled across four separate sections of the Semiahmoo Resort with a different selection of food and entertainment in each area.

At 5:30 p.m. the doors opened to the Protea String Quartet, and the stream of people never stopped.

A half hour later, our friends from Oh Snap! Photo Booth and The Upfront Theater set up shop, so people could get pictures with friends or have some laughs between bites to eat.

photobooth christmas — Oh Snap! Photobooth helps keep things laid back and goofy.

Beckie Rosillio from the video team scoured the resort for Kodak moments like these:

Boisens — Sean Boisen and his wife Donna enjoy a moment together.

beedes — Tayler and Kyle Beede smile at Jeff Allen’s jokes.

Roosendaal's — Kyle Roosendaal and his wife, Denica, find themselves laughing out loud.

Beckie has been taking photos at our employee Christmas party every year since she got here, and by the end of the night there was a line of people waiting for her to take their annual Christmas photo.

Logos_ChristmasParty_2014_RCAR_ (152) — Anne Campbell, Fran Radke, Jen Lounsberry, and Kay Solvik have some fun with their photos.

In the main ballroom, stand up comedian Jeff Allen took the stage and had people literally throwing back their heads in laughter:

laughing — Nathaniel Scataglini and his wife, Sharon, hold nothing back as they laugh at Jeff Allen.

Comedian3 — Jeff Allen performed one of his stand up routines in the main ballroom.

Throughout the night, everyone was free to roam between rooms, so there was never a dull moment.

sherri kyle — Sherri Huleatt breaks out the Beethoven to woo her husband, Kyle. Okay, maybe they’re just posing.

The Upfront Theater crew took a break and then returned for a final show. This time, the improvised comedy somehow led to a soap opera wedding (don’t ask me to explain how it got there):

Upfront Theater2 — The Upfront Theater is a local improv-comedy club, founded by comedian Ryan Stiles.

After the entertainment wrapped up for the evening, it was time for Bob’s annual speech about how much he loves working with us, why we do what we do, and of course, Faithlife’s famous raffle.

bob2 — Bob shares why after over 20 years, he still loves working with these people.

As always, when it comes to thanking his employees, Bob went big. Thousands of dollars in gift cards were given away, brand-new tablets were handed out, and there was even a Playstation 4 and an Xbox One thrown in the mix.

These are just a few of the big prizes given away at the Christmas party.

When the raffle was over, only one thing remained: Christmas carols. Max Morin and Josh Warren from design led the company in a couple of carols, and the evening came to a close.

Want to be at the next Faithlife Christmas party? Check out our available careers!

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To see the rest of our Christmas party photos, like us on Facebook!

December 15, 2014 By Ryan Nelson | 18 Comments

Women in Business

Starting today, Faithlife employees will have the opportunity to learn from inspiring and successful businesswomen throughout the Pacific Northwest.

Each month, we’ll hear from a different female speaker. Today’s speaker is Anne-Marie Faiola–here’s a little more about her:

Anne-Marie is a serial entrepreneur. She started Bramble Berry in Bellingham at 20 years old when a career in law enforcement didn’t pan out. What began in a 400-square-foot closet, grew into a million dollar operation in just four years. Now with several successful companies to her name, Anne-Marie has been honored as both Washington State’s Businesswoman of the Year in 2009 and Washington State’s Businessperson of the Year in 2010. Bob Pritchett (Faithlife’s CEO) counts Anne-Marie as one of his most-respected leaders in our community.

So where did this speaking series come from? It started with Breanna Bart, one of Faithlife’s recruiters. She had an idea, so she brought it to Bob. Recently, I asked Breanna a little more about this speaking series and how she made it happen.

1. Where did this idea come from? What’s the motivation behind it?

I would love to see more women leaders at Faithlife!

Leadership, and in particular, cultivating women leaders, is a passion and interest of mine. I was interested in learning from some of the incredible women in our community, and figured if I was, others would be as well. In the spirit of Faithlife’s culture of growth and initiative, I put together a program that I thought would benefit everyone here.

Traditionally, girls haven’t always been taught to ask, negotiate, and sit at the table. When thrown into the workforce, that sometimes plays out in very direct ways. I want women everywhere to know that it’s not scary, and that it starts with believing in yourself.

I strongly believe we, regardless of gender, can all accomplish remarkable things. The only thing holding us back is that pesky mental barrier telling us it’s not possible. These four women that will be visiting Faithlife over the next couple months didn’t let that voice in their head tell them to stop when the going got tough.

One of the things I love most about Faithlife is that we are encouraged and supported to go above and beyond to benefit the company and our colleagues. I’d been playing around with ideas for a women in leadership program, and have always been in awe of some of the strong women figures in our community. I started reaching out to them to see if they’d be willing to share their personal and professional journeys with us, and the takeaways that we can apply to our own lives. From there, the speaker series came together pretty naturally. The response has been fantastic both from the speakers and from our employees.

When I shared my idea with Bob, he was really encouraging and said it’d be “very Faithlife of me”. I love that our leadership is supportive of stuff like this.

2. How does the women in business speaker series play into Faithlife’s mission?

When I think of Faithlife’s mission, I think of community. Putting together the women in business speaker series is my way of serving and building up the incredible group of leaders we have at Faithlife.

3. Is this something Faithlife can expect more of in the future?

The sky is the limit with what we can expect! It’s up to us as a community to support and build each other up. I’m committed to doing everything I can to cultivate leadership, both in myself, and my colleagues.

4. How did you select the speakers?

I thought about who I knew or had heard of that had accomplished amazing things. I also did some research on women who’d won awards in our community, as well as women who were leaders on high-profile boards in town. Once I started sharing my idea for the speaker series with others, they all had great ideas for potential speakers as well. There are four women lined up to speak, and several more who committed if the response stays as positive as it has been so far.

5. Which speaker are you most excited to hear from, and why?

I’m excited to hear all of the women speak. They each bring different backgrounds to the table—different perspectives, different leadership styles, different stories. There’s something we can learn from each of them. I can’t wait to learn how Anne-Marie, who started in a 400-square-foot closet, has successfully launched several businesses. Anne Rasmussen’s ability to be wildly successful at any role she jumps into blows my mind. Mimi is one of the most passionate and positive people I know—and I’m excited to learn how she transfers that others. Mayor Linville goes to bat against the heaviest of hitters and I look forward to hearing her negotiation tactics, and how she keeps her cool among chaos and naysayers.

6. What makes this experience valuable to employees?

My hope is that the women in business speaker series will be educational, inspirational, and empowering. I hope it brings us together, and with a greater understanding of how we can support each other in being the best, most positive, and most effective leaders possible. Success is not singular.

Here are the three next speakers in the series:

Anne Rasmussen, executive director, Peace Health St. Joseph Medical Center and Whatcom Hospice Foundation

Coming in January: Anne Rasmussen

Anne manages a multi-million dollar budget in her current role, while cultivating relationships with community members that lead to million-dollar plus donations. But this dynamic, driven woman didn’t start out in development and fundraising. She, like Anne-Marie, is an entrepreneur, having owned True Bliss Events locally for several years to put on weddings and high-profile functions for some of our area’s most-noted residents. She also drove a successful career in sales, traveling throughout the country to close high-stakes deals.

Mimi Osterdahl, founder, The Workspace, managing broker, The Muljat Group Realtors

Coming in February: Mimi Osterdahl

With a long list of accomplishments and awards to her name, Mimi is one of our community’s more inspirational leaders. She is the founder of The Workspace, one of Bellingham’s few coworking spaces. As managing broker and realtor for the Muljat Group Realtors, she’s helped find and sell homes for countless people in the Pacific Northwest. Not only is she president of the Whatcom County Association of Realtors, but she’s also the state director of Washington Realtors.

Coming in March: Mayor Kelli Linville

Mayor Linville is Whatcom County’s first female mayor. She’s a fourth-generation Whatcom County resident, small business owner, educator, and former state legislator. Her success in the workplace began as a speech language pathologist for the Bellingham Public School, where she worked for 16 years. During this time, she was active in the Bellingham Education Association, serving as its president in 1989. This role transitioned to a seat on the Washington State House of Representatives, where she contributed 17 years of legislative service. Among her many accomplishments, she created the LIFT (Local Infrastructure Funding Tool) program to secure $25 million in state matching funds for waterfront redevelopment, and was recognized as the 2010 Legislator of the Year from the Northwest Regional Council.

Want to be around next time someone has an awesome idea at Faithlife? Check out our available careers and find one that fits you.

November 21, 2014 By Ryan Nelson | 2 Comments

The L6 Launch Party: A Fancy Evening of Food, Fun, and Friends

Nearly a month ago, Faithlife released Logos 6: the world’s most advanced Bible software.

Every Faithlife employee was tested the week Logos 6 launched—whether that meant serving customers, or each other.

After all the hard work that went into launching Logos 6, one thing was clear: we needed to celebrate. With more than 20 years of creating technology-based Bible study tools under our belt, Logos 6 was a giant leap forward.

How do we celebrate such a huge achievement?

We threw a party. Last weekend, we packed into Bellingham Technical College in Washington (a hop, a skip, and a jump from Canada), and stuffed it with as much food, entertainment, and people as it could handle. Our party planners included our executive assistant, Brittany Hackett (a former wedding planner) and Quintin Cooke (one of our professional designers), so we went big.

launch party — Everyone crowded around to watch a special video created in honor of the Logos 6 launch and the employees who made it happen.

Elizabeth Russell says, “there were circus-like performers walking around everywhere. There was a man juggling, and a gymnast-acrobat lady.” In honor of the Logos 6 launch, there was also a larger-than-life astronaut:

astronaut — The Bellingham Circus Guild helped create a fun atmosphere and served as a constant reminder that this was a time to relax and enjoy themselves after months of serious work.

Tables were set up with pizza, cheese platters, Nanaimo bars, macaroons, perogies, fresh fruit, root beer floats, and tons of other dessert selections from Pure Bliss Desserts.

It was a mix of fancy and fun—we even used linens from Bellingham Wedding and Event Rentals to give the party that classy feel.

A photobooth was set up by Oh Snap! Photobooth so everyone could take goofy photos with their friends, family, and coworkers:

While Faithlife employees mingled, The Upfront Theatre performed live improv-comedy.

For many, the highlight of the night was when CEO Bob Pritchett took time to recognize the people he called “the launch heroes.” Each of these people were recognized by their coworkers for going the extra mile, working long hours, and making huge contributions to this monumental project.

In a company of nearly 450 employees, public affirmation like that means a lot. Bob thanked 15 launch heroes who had been repeatedly nominated by their coworkers and said that after all of the nominations he received, there were about 60 people who he was going to personally thank for their efforts.

All in all, it was a fun-filled night with friends and family, honoring a landmark launch for Logos Bible Software.

Special thanks to Brittany Hackett and Quintin Cooke for planning, decorating, and setting up this fantastic evening, and to Laura Roberts, Grete Cass, and Matt Church for making BTC look spotless after.

Like us on Facebook to see the rest of our launch party photos, and see what life is like here at Faithlife!

November 13, 2014 By Ryan Nelson | 5 Comments

Wednesdays at The Comics Place

Faithlife’s culture is diverse. With about 450 employees, it would be easy to feel like just another face in the crowd. But that’s not how Faithlife works.

Faithlife creates opportunities for employees to step outside the office and get to know each other, including amazing trips together, recreational sports teams, regular lunch outings, the outdoor center, and our epic break room.

Sometimes, people discover that they have a lot in common outside of work. At Comicon this year, Beckie Rosillo discovered she was not alone in her love of comic books.

She says, “I was working at Comicon and several people from Faithlife either stopped me at the convention or emailed me when I got back to tell me they’d seen me there. It was really funny because people I’d never talked to before and some who I didn’t even know suddenly reached out to me simply because they saw me and realized I liked comic books too—it’s like an instant bonding thing.”

When she returned, Beckie created a Faithlife Group for employees to connect. Through the group, she learned that some of her coworkers walk to a nearby comic book shop every week. Some of them have been going every week for over two years.

After Comicon and the creation of the Faithlife Group, the crew found some new companions for their weekly outings.

Brandon Rappuhn says he started going to The Comics Place on Wednesdays when he first started working at Faithlife two and a half years ago. A few months into the job, Brandon already found a group of coworkers to go with.

Brandon says, “When Faithlife expanded and hired 100 more people in 2013, we finally added some more comic book geeks to our ranks.”

The group has walked to The Comics Place every Wednesday without fail, though the size of the group varies week to week.

I asked Brandon, “Why Wednesdays?”

He said, “Most of us are following a few different series of comics. New issues come out on Wednesdays, so if you follow a few series, chances are there’s at least one new issue waiting for you each Wednesday.”

comics_place2 — Left to right: Elizabeth, Brody, Jake, Brandon, Jonathan, Daniel, and Janae in front of The Comics Place.

This Wednesday, I joined the crew and took a two-minute walk through downtown Bellingham to see what it’s like.

When we walked in, The Comics Place employees greeted my coworkers by name and handed them the latest issue of each of their favorite comics. To the shop employees, these weren’t just customers, they were fellow fans of a unique form of literature.

James, a developer at Faithlife, says “What I love most about comics is probably the world they’ve built up over the years and the sense of continuity they provide. I think what makes comics unique is their combined use of illustration and the written word to tell a story. It’s really fascinating to watch a character’s look and feel evolve over the years as they’re drawn and written by different artists and writers, too.”

Steve Workman from technical support says, “I enjoy that comics take complex issues and break them down into entertaining bite-sized chunks.”

The way everyone shares their love of comics is different, too.

Steve says, “I have never hidden the fact that I enjoy comics. I currently have a Drax bobble head from Guardians of the Galaxy and a Transformer on my desk.”

James doesn’t roll with the group on Wednesdays, but he shares what he’s reading and any news he encounters about upcoming events in the Faithlife Group.

Brandon says, “Comic books are a unique medium for communicating story and character. In comic books, when you have a good artist, the story is told in ways novels—by their inherent limitations—cannot tell. It also provides a way for younger readers to get into reading. One coworker picks up comic books written for six-year-old-girls, and she reads them to her daughter, who loves them, and is recently starting to read them on her own.”

Beckie wears her comic book fanhood wherever she goes. She says, “I don’t carry a purse but instead I have a backpack that looks like a big Captain America shield. People stop me all the time, whether I’m at the grocery store, walking down the street, or even at church. It’s really funny.”

Since Faithlife serves the Christian church as a whole, we constantly interact with a broad theological landscape. Our employees come from diverse theological backgrounds as well. For Brandon, shared interests like comics are a great way to bridge the gaps and create rich friendships.

comics_place3 — Jake Mailhot browses this week’s new selection.

“It’s been a great excuse to get away from the office with coworkers and get to know them outside of the context of theology and software. With a shared interest in comics, we build bonds of comradery that sometimes aren’t shared by our theological dispositions. It’s one more way we build friendship and rapport with one another. Then when we talk about theology, we don’t end up burning each other out.”

comics_place4 — Brandon Rappuhn looks for his favorite comic books.

The trips to The Comics Place offer a unique way for coworkers to share what they like—and don’t like. Brandon says, “I enjoy seeing what different comics each person is into, sharing stories with my coworkers, trying to convince my coworkers that my stories are the better ones, and sometimes taking a chance and picking up a story that my coworker swears by.”

For these Faithlife employees, comic books are one of the many ways they’ve made the transition from anonymous coworkers to friends.

Whatever your interests are, chances are there’s someone at Faithlife who shares it.

Find your place at Faithlife. We’re hiring in graphic design, marketing, ministry development, and more—there are over 30 careers to choose from. Check out what’s available, and join us!

November 4, 2014 By Ryan Nelson | 1 Comment

The Little Town of Bellingham: Home of Faithlife

We’ve shown you how beautiful the Pacific Northwest is, but have you seen Faithlife’s hometown in Bellingham, Washington? It’s a pretty spectacular place.

This fall, Dr. Jeannine Brown and her husband Tim came to Bellingham to work with Faithlife’s Mobile Ed program. Their time here was a delightful mix of business and pleasure.

While Dr. Brown was busy with Mobile Ed, Tim got to know the town we call home.

Bellingham is full of all kinds of musicians. Accordions, beat-boxing, you name it. But if you were in Bellingham this fall, you might have got a special treat: Tim Brown. He’s been a musician for over 30 years, and while his wife was working with us, Tim took to the streets.

Tim says, “I bring a guitar with me on every trip. While in Bellingham, I did some busking and lots of walking. I enjoyed the old buildings and spent time learning about the town’s railroad history.”

In fact, he enjoyed it so much that he wrote a poem about it.

He says, “The poem reflects a moment in time. It’s a snapshot. A freeze-frame exploration of a beautiful fall morning.”

After he and Dr. Brown left Bellingham, Tim offered us the poem as a tribute to our home.

It’s called “One Way Holly.” Check it out:

One Way Holly

Four way crossing on one way Holly
Trees are turning
Leaves are falling
People walking and cars motor away

Autumn morning clouds are forming
People moving
Without hurrying
Bless the sneezing girl along her way

Roomy sidewalk stop and standing
Golden sunlight
Day expanding
Blue skies peeking through the gray

In Bellingham on one way Holly
There’s turn taking
Four way crossing
Morning’s sliding smooth into midday

After leaving us with his poem, Tim had this to say of Bellingham:

“Bellingham is a wonderful conglomeration of beauty, history, weather, and interesting people. I also like that it’s a college town. Young people bring energy to the city. The extensive railroad boom (1890s) architecture was as impressive to me as the city’s obvious natural beauty.”

To Tim, the town and the moment are memories he will cherish. “The poem reminds me to be thankful for life’s perfect moments and everything in between. It will always remind me of our late September trip to Bellingham.”

If you’re ever in the neighborhood, stop by and see what we’re up to! Faithlife is always giving tours of our campus in downtown Bellingham. You can even tour our historic building, affectionately known as the Flatiron.

October 30, 2014 By Ryan Nelson | 21 Comments

Launch Day: Celebrating Logos 6, Success, and Each Other

Logos 6 has been more than 20 years in the making. Behind the curtain, October 27 was a day of celebration—of people, of technology, and of hard work.

Walking through the doors of Faithlife on Monday was unlike any other day since I’ve been here. Balloons filled corners, desks, stairwells, and more. There was even a giant balloon archway next to our receptionist and the famous Faithlife sign:

Every desk was adorned with Logos 6 goodies and launch day treats—including these sweet Logos 6 mugs full of candy and cupcakes that were about 40 percent frosting.

logos 6 shirt, mug, and cupcake — Photo courtesy of Ivan Leon.

Some parts of the Faithlife campus felt like walking through a campsite. In the Partnerships and Advertising team’s office, a projector was playing The Office in the background, and Nate Smoyer was cozied up in a blanket with his laptop. Down in DSGNHAVN, a hammock was stretched between two pillars—the perfect spot to take a quick nap before getting back in the action.

Some offices were empty, where just hours ago teams of people had been frantically working to make sure everything was ready for the big day.

For many, “launch day” began Sunday night and ran into the wee hours of the morning. There were web pages and servers to be tested and retested, links and messaging to be double checked and triple checked, and festivities to prepare.

kyle — Kyle, Anthony, and other developers moved into the marketing department in anticipation of launch.

Moments after I arrived, developers and marketers gathered around a single laptop, and the magic moment—the launch of Logos 6—was captured on a phone. Chris Dumond had the honor of pushing the button.

Shortly after the button was pushed and the sites were live, executive assistant Brittany Hackett caught the Bellingham sunrise peeking through her window, and a beautiful day of celebration began:

Blazers and blouses were replaced with Logos 6 launch T-shirts, and company wide, we rallied to bring out the best in each other throughout the day. From the beginning, we knew the launch would put a lot of stress on our customer service and sales people, so we assigned teams to care for and support them.

One of the people supporting the sales team was Annemarie VanBeek. Annemarie doesn’t even work in the same building as sales, but she was available to help. So what’d she do? She moved in.

Annemarie said, “At first I just had my laptop in here. Then I moved my monitors over, and eventually my whole desktop and everything.” She was in the middle of the action, ready to help out at a moment’s notice. Sometimes it meant acting as a go-between and making sure our sales people had the most up-to-date information about Logos 6. Other times it meant making sure everyone had the food and caffeine they needed to keep going.

“If we aren’t answering questions, we’re feeding them,” she said. “Sometimes, you’ll just hear a door open, and someone will run out and grab a bite to eat before they get back on the phone.”

Rumor has it that one salesman, John Groce, didn’t even put the phone down long enough to sneak out and grab a bite. He took calls for more than 12 hours straight and never left his office. That’s how much he enjoyed our customers and the excitement of Logos 6.

When I spoke to Annemarie, it was a little after 1:00 p.m. By that time, she’d made three separate trips to Woods Coffee with everyone’s drink orders. All this week, Faithlife has food trucks parked between our buildings (with free food for Faithlife employees!) so our support teams brought hot food right to the hungry mouths that asked for them.

Hot Mess food truck — Hot Mess: Philly Cheesesteaks & More was one of the many food trucks that set up shop on the Faithlife campus during launch week.

Those of us that had time hopped in line and enjoyed tasty BBQ, Philly cheesesteaks, gourmet pizza, burritos, and more!

Annemarie was just one of many employees who went above and beyond to serve those who were working with our customers. She was also one of many people to relocate their work station just for the launch.

Developers and marketers worked side by side to ensure that when pages needed to be built and new issues were discovered, they could be addressed as quickly as possible.

Erik was one of the developers that relocated for the launch. He said, “Recently, I’d been heavily involved with the marketing technology team and their code, so it made sense for me to sit with them. Everyone in marketing knew where to find me when they had questions. It was helpful to just turn around and talk instead of using instant messaging.”

One member of the marketing technology team told me Erik was like a launch-day superhero, working right alongside his team. Erik said, “I don’t normally work 25 hours in a 28-hour period . . . that was a first.”

Sounds like he could have really used the hammock downstairs.

Kaleb Cuevas said, “Monday was really different because there was so much anticipation and excitement, and we worked all night to make it possible.”

The most exciting moment for Kaleb was “the moment we heard cheers erupt when the site went live, and seeing the praise from customers that followed.”

Our customer service and sales teams were on the phones nonstop until midnight to keep things moving. The phone lines were loaded to maximum capacity—people were chomping at the bit to begin using and learning about Logos 6.

Don Everett and Kelly Ryan customer service — Don Everett and Kelly Ryan work with a customer.

When people are this passionate about a product, it’s contagious. And when our customers are excited, we are too. Monday, October 27 represented years of work, months of preparation, and hundreds of people who helped Logos 6 come together.

Join the celebration, and see what people are so excited about. Get Logos 6 today.

October 15, 2014 By Ryan Nelson | 3 Comments

Skookum Kids: Awesome People Doing Awesome Things

“Awesomeness” isn’t all about fun and games. Faithlife looks for awesome employees because those are the people who are changing the world. Skookum Kids is one of the many things awesome people do.

In April of 2013, Ray Deck moved across the country to work at Faithlife (known then as Logos Bible Software) in Bellingham, Washington. After settling in, he got involved with a church plant on the south side of the city, near one of the biggest destinations for people on the edge of homelessness.

Through his church and its proximity to extreme poverty, Ray learned about a service gap he calls “the 72 hour problem.” It’s the waiting period after CPS rescues a child from a hostile family environment. There is no designated place for kids to stay during this time.

In a blog post, Ray shared what he’d learned about the situation these kids face:

When children enter foster care, social workers have 72 hours—3 working days—before they must appear before a judge with a plan about where the children will live. Where do the children go in the interim? There’s currently no plan.

Sometimes social workers place them in an already over-capacity foster home.
Sometimes the children are transported to the other side of the state.
Sometimes they sit in the hallway outside the social worker’s office while they work.

So just hours removed from trauma, these children are in a very vulnerable emotional state, and the foster care system has no plan for them.
It’s a huge service gap.

And I want to close it.

That’s where Skookum Kids comes in.

While Ray investigated the foster care system, a coalition of five churches (including Ray’s), government agencies, police, nonprofits, social services, businesses, and neighborhood associations has been working to restore the brokenness in this particular part of Bellingham.

As an active member of this coalition, Ray’s life outside of work stays busy. He says, “I’m really grateful for the flexibility I have at Faithlife. I can duck away for a meeting during the day if I need to, and put in a few weekend hours to keep up on my projects. Without the ability to do that, Skookum Kids wouldn’t exist.”

A few months ago at work, Ray showed me a map he created which showed where 911 calls came from throughout Bellingham. This community he’s had his eye on had the highest concentration of 911 calls. Right in the heart of this neighborhood are a couple rundown motels, frequently used for prostitution and drug dealing.

Greg Winter, director of the Whatcom Homeless Service Center says, “Sometimes these motels are housing of last resort to prevent [people] from living out on the street.”

The coalition wants to buy out one of these motels, and transform it into something beautiful.

With proper funding and enough volunteers, Ray hopes Skookum kids will be a refuge for these kids—a light in a neighborhood that has only known darkness. He says, “Children would receive nutritious food, new clothes, toys, transportation to and from school, and transportation to a medical screening—all under the supervision of trained volunteers.”

Help solve the 72 hour problem by giving to Skookum Kids, or learn more at SkookumKids.org.