Last night Verdis hit the town. We didn’t hit it hard, but we got out of the office for dinner and drinks so we could gather and recognize the upcoming fourth birthday of the company, the birthday of one of my coworkers, and the fact that Daniel will soon be at Verdis HQ full time. It was also an early send off for me, as my last day in the office is this Friday.

After I returned home and reflected on the evening, I realized (once again) how special a company Verdis Group has been and will be in the future. It isn’t special just because Verdis is the only sustainability consulting company in the region, or the fact that Verdis has had tremendous success creating positive and sustainable change among its clients. It is the people who work at Verdis that make it special. We are a small barbershop choir and each person contributes a unique voice and timbre to the harmony.

I am personally grateful for having had the chance to apply my own skills, talents, and strengths at Verdis over the past few years (none of which includes actual singing). Because Verdis is small—for now—I’ve had the opportunity to learn new things about running a company and apply myself to tasks I never thought I would face, such as developing an analysis of competitors in the sustainability consulting landscape or creating case studies for urban sustainability centers. Verdis allowed me to do things that were both productive and fun, like designing graphics and presenting visual information. I’ve also enjoyed the freedom of writing some pretty crazy blogs from time to time, with the full support of company leadership and my colleagues.

Working at a small company has also provided the chance to interact with my colleagues more often and more intensely than one would in larger companies. My experience has been more satisfying because I have been able to develop professional and personal relationships with Craig, Daniel, Chris, Kay, and Sally. We don’t always agree, but we get along. So I shouldn’t be surprised when it is so much fun to hang out at dinner and catch up on what is going on outside of work, discuss musical interests, share riddles, continue debating the Oxford/serial comma, or just generally give each other a hard time. While I am looking forward to my next professional step, I expect a long interval before I find myself in a professional environment like Verdis.

The core reason is that Verdis is a small group of passionate individuals who are also fantastic, fun, and interesting people. Although it might not be the right fit for everyone, I have loved working at Verdis and know that I will miss everyone on the team. Verdis is poised for continued and greater success in the future, so even though I am done clocking in, I will still be checking in. I’m proud to have been a figurative voice in this choir and a literal part of this company.

Signing off.