Destination Marvin: My Visit to Warroad
Part Three: People
By: Adrienne Stronge
While the primary objective of my trip was to learn about Marvin, the added benefit was meeting and growing relationships with two of our favorite Harrisonburg teams. RS Monger & Sons sponsored my trip, and I was accompanied by three people from their team. Also on the trip were people from Herr and Company, contractors we work with often.
Our team photo. L-R Laurie Gabriel (Herr & Co), Ralph Viafora (Herr & Co), Dakota Higgs (Mongers), Brad Nicholson (Mongers), Abigail Welsh (Mongers), Adrienne Stronge, Tim Conklin (Marvin)
Networking with the teams we work with is always important, but there is something to be said about travelling together. Before this trip, because I’m based in the Charlottesville office, I knew none of these people. I was travelling with strangers. Now that we are home, I consider every one of the people I travelled with friends.
Dinner on our last night. L-R: Laurie Gabriel (Herr & Co), Abigail Welsh (Mongers), Adrienne Stronge, Brad Nicholson (Mongers), Dakota Higgs (Mongers)
We bonded over last minute travel cancellations that resulted in the team driving to Dulles at 5am on travel day. We enjoyed visiting local Warroad bars, restaurants, coffee shops, and breweries. We all stepped out on a frozen lake and braved -20-degree temperatures. We capped our trip with the insanity that is the Mall of America and an amazing dinner at the steakhouse across the street.
Standing on a frozen lake that was frozen to 42” thick.
Standing on the frozen lake.
The forecast on one of our mornings in Warroad
The Lego Store at Mall of America.
Friendships in this industry are important. I now know that I can call up any one of these people with a question and they would be happy to help point me in the right direction. This not only makes my job easier, but when we work together as a team, it results in a better project for our clients.
Team photo in front of the Marvin plane.
On the trip, I mentioned one solution that I had recently used in a project, and Abigail with Monger & Sons knew exactly which job I was talking about and mentioned some solutions for the doors that were slightly different thanks to a recent change in the product line. These are the kind of discussions that help us all to create the best product possible for our clients, and I am so happy to have more close contacts in the industry with whom to discuss solutions.
