Carolyn "Coop" Cooper came to Kipsu with an IT recruiting and HR consulting background. We asked her to tell us a bit more about herself and reflect on her time at Kipsu.
IT Recruiting and HR for a consulting firm called Logisolve, Inc. Prior to that, I was onboarding for Supervalu, specifically Cub Foods. I was responsible for getting all the new hires in the South Metro through orientation, cashier training, and produce training. It was largely me attempting to keep the attention of a bunch of teenagers, but our equal level of maturity really came in helpful.
Spending time with family and friends, reading, writing, breweries, rugby, hiking, people watching, chatting (too much), and finding new interests. A lot of guilty pleasures as well: Golden Girls, paranormal/supernatural documentaries, sugary cereals, 80s music, cheese...I'm a monster.
I liked the arena of IT, but felt I was in the wrong role as a recruiter. I wanted to flex more of my creative and problem solving muscles. I started doing research for local, smaller companies with, not only an awesome, well constructed culture, but also one that encouraged development and growth. I found Kipsu on the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal's list of Top Places to Work. As an AVID talker, I always felt a lot of problems and misunderstandings could be easily solved with a simple conversation, and it piqued my interest. After a few interviews with current employees, I could feel how passionate and confident they were in the company's values and overall mission, as well as their specific roles within it. I left every conversation inspired and wanting to learn more.
They made sure I didn't feel like the "new guy" for long. I very quickly felt part of the Kipsu family. I've cultivated lifelong friendships here. I always got along well with coworkers prior to Kipsu, but I wasn't calling them on the weekends to hang out because the entire work week wasn't QUITE enough time. We put in a lot of sweat and literal tears into our work, but it's rewarding and you get to go through it with some REALLY smart, motivated, passionate, kind people.
Being an old timer on the Customer Partnership Team, I'm really excited about the team we've built, dismantled, refurbished, rebuilt, renovated, then rebuilt again over the years (another testament to the agility of this team). We have a pretty new team currently, and the thing I'm probably MOST excited about is seeing them learn, grow, develop, and surprise themselves in the level of their contributions. I think we're all capable of more than we give ourselves credit for and I'm excited to push (and be pushed) to that patent Oprah "Ah-ha!" moment.
Go Beyond Together. I've seen what this team has accomplished thus far and it's never because of a single, solitary person's contributions. Victories and short comings are shared equally. We learn, grow, mess up, strategize, succeed, and pivot as a team.
Outside of my family, I'd choose Tina Fey! Everything she touches turns to hysterical gold and, in my humble opinion, is one of the geniuses of our generation (quick wink at Jordan Peele who is also up there for me). She's a hard working, women-empowering, hilarious, a phenomenal writer and creator, and seems like she'd be game for margaritas and nachos. You know you're not NOT going enjoy chitting the chat with Tina Fey. You could also get all the dirt on Amy Poehler...(I'm sure she's got some skeletons in her closet.)
We're looking for motivated people to join our growing team in Minneapolis. See our careers page to view all open positions and submit an application.
