Was I Surprised? Nah!

One of the most effective ways to find and develop talent is by engaging students in our local colleges and universities through the Solid Cactus Internship program.   Students are brought in and given an opportunity to expand their experience with an industry professional from the Solid Cactus team. The pay stinks (often non-existant), but the experience is priceless!

Scott Carey joined the Solid Cactus team in January as an intern in our Corporate Marketing department after what he describes as “grueling interview” with yours truly.

I was pleasantly surprised with the amazing quality of work, work ethic, and commitment he showed right out of the gate.  He jumped in right away, learning all about our comparison shopping engine feed management tool, FeedPerfect.   He oversaw the production of a video, wrote and directed a webinar about the product, and oversaw the soon-to-launch redesign of the FeedPerfect website.  He went on to assist with similar projects for our Virtual Office Services team at our Call Center Services division.

I was surprised with his ability to balance effectively his Solid Cactus work, maintaining a full academic schedule at King’s College, and building his business - Breaker Boy Custom Drums and Percussion.

So, I wasn’t very surprised when Robert Watts, Vice President of the Great Valley Technology Alliance informed me that Scott was a finalist in the GVTA Business Plan Competition.  With more than 20 entries, it all came down to tonight’s banquet at Mohegan Sun Pocono Downs where six finalists including:

• BraveGamer (Scranton) - a company that teaches programming and technology concepts through an online gaming environment.
• Cognition Media (Scranton) - Developer of a fully-featured high school web content management system.
• Compliance Unlimited (Dallas) - Creator of a device to ensure a building is up to code and within compliance with current building and accessibility standards.
• Institution Connect - an Internet application that seeks to make communication between students and faculty of an educational institution quick and efficient.
• Matchamize - An application that helps match complementary clothing while shopping via an inventory management and scan system.
• and
• Breaker Boy Drums and Percussion - building custom drums and percussion products.

I wasn’t surprised when “Team Carey” - at team of one - was named as the Grand Prize Winner in the Competition.  Scott continues to impress the harshest of critics - including the competition judges which included top executives from companies across the region and state.

Breaker Boy Drums and Percussion will receive more than $50,000 in cash and in kind services from businesses and organizations throughout NEPA, including Solid Cactus Cares.

Congratulations Scott - we couldn’t be more proud of you.

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