Often times I am asked, “how did you come to be a Racker?” Well that story is one of a kind… and with my top talent being “Context,” buckle up kids because it’s going to be a detailed story!
It was late April when my wife and I had a casual conversation about being closer to family. Up to that point, I had spent the previous 9.5 years working within IT & Telecommunications in New York City (insert city slicker jokes here!). My wife is originally from Texas and this topic had come up several times. As fate would have it, a message she received shortly thereafter would change our lives forever.
My wife received an email from NSHMBA (National Society of Hispanic MBAs), San Antonio Chapter, regarding a networking event to be held at Rackspace’s headquarters.
Timing had never been quite right to make the move, however, after discussing it at great lengths, we decided if I could find an inexpensive plane ticket from NYC to San Antonio I would go. Mind you… this discussion began on a Sunday evening, continued into Monday, with her finding an inexpensive flight that left on Tuesday and returned on Wednesday. What are the odds???
At any rate, I was familiar with Rackspace from working within the industry, believed in their niche of service, and felt they were in a market poised to see sustained growth for an extended period of time. With the ticket bought, I knew my goal was simple; network, network, network. I had very few business contacts in San Antonio, but knew, based on my past experiences at New York Chapter NSHMBA events, this would be a great venue for connecting with key decision makers.
I arrived at the Rackspace headquarters, affectionately known as the Castle, and was amazed. My immediate thought was how impressed I was with the structure of their facilities and the exuberance of all the Rackers. The sheer joy they transcended from being a Racker left a lasting impression on me. After the initial jubilation of being there, I went back to being focused…. “I’m here to network!”
I first bumped into none other than SugarBear. Imagine that! He helped set the tone and strategically pointed out who the others within the room were. I immediately found a Recruiter, Larry Mitchell, and learned more about the company. After making the rounds, I was introduced to Chris Cochran. We had a great conversation and I was somewhat caught off guard when he asked me to extend my stay and come in for an interview the next day. At that moment, I thought to myself, “Man… good thing my wife made me pack an extra suit.”
The next day I proceeded to have one of the longest interviews of my career (6 different people). By the end I knew this was exactly what I wanted and where I wanted to be. Spending almost the whole day with everyone reaffirmed what my first premonition was at the NSHMBA event, this place is unique and where I want to continue to grow within my career. The entire process took one month and during the middle of the summer we packed up our apartment in Hoboken, NJ and headed to Texas.
The first month at Rackspace was exciting. Knowing how serious Rackspace takes their culture, I couldn’t have asked for a better way to get acclimated than with Rookie “O”. The orientation program lasted a week and encapsulated just what Rackspace is all about and why being a Racker is a special privilege.
The onboarding process is a work in progress, however, I attribute that to the exponential growth Rackspace has gone through. The growth we are experiencing is a testament to the hard work and customers responding to the Fanatical Support they are receiving. Overall, the experience was great.
Life in Texas has been quite the change from the Big Apple, however it’s one that I have embraced and ultimately come to appreciate. It’s been great dealing with warmer weather at this time of year and more importantly, my wife and I enjoy being closer to family. We’re now privy to all the family outings we used to merely here about and that’s aces in our book!
David Roldán, Jr. is a Team Lead for I-7 within Rackspace. David holds his B.S. in Business Administration with a double major in Marketing & Management and a minor in Spanish from the University of South Carolina. Additionally he obtained his Masters in Business Administration from Metropolitan College of New York. He has over 6 years of experience in IT and over 10 years of experience in Sales.
David recently relocated from the Northeast for his position at Rackspace. He is a member of NSHMBA.
Map Photo Credit: Original Photo by perpetualplum
