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We have a new team member and he’s pretty great! Sanj has joined our team and has already brought an abundant amount of knowledge, character and laughter to our REM family. We can’t wait for you to meet him too! In true REM fashion, Sanj has provided us some details about who he is and we thought we’d share!

At Work

Role at REM: Business Development & Digital Marketing.

Education: B.A. Sociology from the University of Waterloo. Several marketing, web design, and digital marketing certifications.

Work Experience: Built my first website from scratch in 1999. Worked for PriceWaterhouseCooopers in London, England as the team leader for the IT training department. Worked for RIM in Technical Support. Worked for TRUX Route Management Systems in Cambridge, ON as Technical support then transitioned to web design and marketing. Owner and Creative Director at Jelly Triangle for web design and digital marketing.

Something That Makes Me Smile at Work: I am weird in that I get as much joy from manipulating data and code as I do from drawing and designing. But my favourite part is working with clients. Each new business is a whole new opportunity with different challenges so it never gets boring. What makes me smile is watching a client’s face when we overcome those challenges, especially the ones they thought were insurmountable.

Favourite

Web site: I spend a lot of time on dndbeyond.com as I play and DM, but I also have several Nerf modification sites I visit regularly. Also, I love to browse Etsy for painted Nerf guns for inspiration for my own designs and mods.

Books: All time favourite book is Tigana by Guy Gavriel Kay, but I love Feist, Gemmell, and other fantasy writers as well.

Food: I love to cook and I love a lot of different kinds of food. My signature dish is egg-yolk ravioli in a burnt butter and sage sauce. My favorite foods to eat are Vietnamese (vermicelli bowls), Japanese (sushi), and then Mexican (fish tacos).

TV Show: I have watched a lot of TV over the years, for example I have watched the Friends seasons HUNDREDS of times over. But my favorite show of all time is still probably Parks & Recreation (I wish I was Ron Swanson).

Musical Artists: I was asked this recently and because I have such eclectic tastes, it was all over the place. Favourite bands: Metallica, Sun60 and Wilson Phillips. Favourite artists: Prince, Cher, and probably too many others. I currently am into listening to Tuvan Throat Singing, specifically a band called Yhat-Ke.

Time of Day: Morning. The earlier the better!

Season: Spring and Fall. Love watching the world change.

Places in the World: New Orleans, Chicago, Mexico.

Recreational Activities/Hobbies: Being ADHD, I have about 1100 hobbies…Drawing, Nerf, R/C Cars, Wood working, Zombie Survival Training and Prep, and so many more. But my favourite activity is spending time with my dog Pakora.

Sport: Ball hockey, Archery, MMA

App: Match 3 games (Puzzle Combat is my current addiction)

Least Favourite

Food: Lentils and Beans (the texture…ugh)

Activity: Singing or dancing in front of people

Time of Day: Late evening

Season: Summer (damn you mosquitoes!)

Place: Wedding Receptions (don’t care where they are held lol)

More Info

Best Thing Someone Said to You: Fear and Excitement have the exact same physical responses (increased heart rate, blood pressure, adrenaline, etc.) the only difference is your attitude.

Life Motto: Make sure you can live with the decisions you make. Make those decisions with a good heart and good intentions.

My Hero: Steve Yzerman (Captain of the Detroit Red Wings for decades). He never changed teams, always put the team ahead of himself, never held out over money, and worked hard both on and off the ice to win multiple championships. One of the most respected players (especially by other players) to ever play the game. I hope someday the people in my life feel the same way about me.

One of the Things I Find Fascinating: I’m an empath and I am always fascinated by the number of negative emotions people carry around with them on any given day and how unaware they are that they are carrying that weight.

Most People Don’t Know This About Me: I like to work on bio control skills. For example, I never get a song stuck in my head because I know a hack to make it stop. I never get the hiccups because I can stop them at will. I’m only ticklish when I allow myself to be ticklish, otherwise tickling has no effect on me. I used to be a late-night person and trained myself to become an early riser.

After undergoing what feels like numerous lockdowns, I think our team has really thrived in the socializing department. We all do miss each other in the office but I honestly believe being apart has brought us closer together. Cheesy I know… it’s all Gouda.

Personally, I try to have face-to-face conversations with each one of my colleagues on a weekly basis. Whether I’m asking a question about a project, or just a quick call to say “hi,” my teammates always answer when I call – this is something I’m truly grateful for because the team at REM is comprised of some of the funniest individuals I know.

In addition to our virtual face-to-face chats, at REM our entire team gathers on a call and collectively plays a game on Wednesdays! This weekly gathering is always filled with laughter and is the meeting I look forward to every week. I highly suggest implementing this “virtual fun time” with your teams, it boosts comradery, and pauses the stresses we all are facing right now.

In an effort to get you started here are some games that we’ve played so far:

Among Us

This game will truly test your sneak abilities. You’ll strategize together as a team to survive and have fun calling out your team members who hold the keys to your fate in the game.

Online Poker

This game really does bring out our competitive behaviours. It’s a great way to learn each other’s bluffing skills and push each other to our limits. It usually ends in an exciting show down that will have everyone talking.

skribbl.io

Although I haven’t played this specific game with the team yet, I hear it’s quite a riveting time. The synopsis – virtual Pictionary – drawing with a mouse leads to everyone having a grand old time.

Have you played any games with your team members lately? If you have, please share them with us! We love trying new things!

Let me preface this blog with the fact that I cannot play foosball. It’s not that I don’t want to, or I don’t care to it’s simply just one of those games that I cannot succeed at. I’m a klutz by nature with absolutely no hand-eye coordination so playing the game of foosball just never fared well for me.

However, I do love how much joy it brings my teammates, I desperately miss the sounds and laughter of my colleagues over lunch challenging each other. Whether or not each individual chooses to play, it’s an important part of our culture at REM and gives us a little bit more than just a lunch hour break.

When asked why Foosball is such an important part of the REM culture our designer Christine had a lot to say:

“Foosball at REM builds comradery between coworkers and teaches us good sportsmanship, friendly competition and owning up to mistakes, while being silly and goofing around. It adds excitement in our office, we cheer loudly for our coworkers when we compete, which builds confidence in other areas of our lives, like our jobs. Foosball gives us an opportunity to laugh and witness aspects of each other’s personality we don’t normally see and is a great way to 'break the ice' and welcome a new team member into the group. It encourages us to create strategies and 'think outside the box,' thereby stimulating the innovative, problem solving parts of our brain.

"Besides the emotional and mental benefits, it’s also physically good for us and here’s why – Foosball encourages us to get up and move, even if it’s mostly our arms that are moving. We use quick, powerful motions with our arms and wrists during the game, which loosens our forearm muscles, helps circulation and relieves tension. It also increases our heart-rate, promoting good health. We’ve proven this by looking at our smart-watches with heartbeat monitors. One time, Sean S. was super dialed into the game and his heartbeat rose to more than 120 beats/minute (that’s in the fat burning zone!).”

Did You Know:

Businesses & non-profit organizations with 50 or more employees should have made their website and web content accessible by January 1st, 2021?

It’s not too late! Make your website AODA compliant.

Visit aodawebsites.ca! 

The REM team wishes you and your family all the best for 2021. Have a wonderful, happy new year!

Please note that we'll be closed on Friday, January 1st.

REM wishes you and your family a safe and happy holiday season! Don’t forget to vote for your favourite REM Holiday Face Mask! 

As a friendly reminder: our office will be closed on Dec. 24, 25 & 28.

VOTE NOW!

It’s been quite some time now that most of our team has been working from home, we miss each other and our awesome office. 

One of the most important things when working remotely is having a dedicated workspace to stay engaged and ready for action. A well-armed, personalized, organized, ergonomic home office makes all the difference when battling one’s foes, also known as daily tasks and routine. For most of us who are nerds and/or gamers, we wanted to show off our sweet setups, complete with multiple monitors, LED lights and peripheral equipment/devices. There are some perks to working at home for me – I get to snuggle with my dog on my breaks and make really good lunches!

We decided that it would be great to share what our at home “battle stations” look like and give you a few ideas for yours!

For more tips on how to create a great workspace, check out this blog post: “A Streamlined Work Environment”

Thank you for supporting REM in the past year!

This year to celebrate the season, the REM Team hand-crafted holiday themed face masks. Click here to see our crafty creations and vote for your favourite!

Most importantly, we wish you a Fantastic Holiday Season and a Bright & Energetic New Year!

As a friendly note: We will be closed on December 24, 25, 28 and January 1 to allow our team a chance to spend time with their family.  We look forward to working with you in 2021.

Sincerely,

REM Web Solutions

Team quarterly events have always been part of our company culture here at REM. Each quarter, we all get together for a team event that is fun, competitive and allows us to kick back and let our worries melt away. It’s also an opportunity for us to collect our yearly GPA’s – a points system that we have in place at REM that encourages us to embody our Guiding Principles that we can cash in for additional perks each year!

This quarter was no exception and we decided to play a poker tournament! With all of us in the office (except Ryan who managed to stay involved on our big screen) we were able to run two poker tournaments, eat some snacks and win some money (rewards gifted by Rob). It was an absolute blast! As per usual, Sean McParland (better known as “McP” in the office) played it calm and cool and with his beginner’s luck took the first table. I didn’t do too bad myself taking the loser’s table in a good ole showdown with Sean S.!

Matt did an absolutely fantastic job planning the event and I’m beyond excited for the next one. Stay tuned – it’s going to involve a lot of snow and a lot of laughs!

Our first AODA Webinar last week was a huge success! Thanks very much to everyone that attended!

Join us for the next free AODA webinar on Tuesday, December 8th at 9:30am.

Our AODA (Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act) certified Graphic Designers: Sean S. and Christine V. have put together an interactive presentation discussing what it is, how it affects you and your business, and its design factors. There will also be helpful resources to help make your website complaint.

This is a virtual event in Zoom hosted by The Cambridge Chamber of Commerce; please sign up in advance to get the link and details before the event.

Register to the event now by going to The Chamber’s event page.

Stay tuned for even more future webinar dates! For useful info and facts about AODA visit aodawebsites.ca.