Shovels and Shindigs.
Despite the hurricane-force winds yesterday afternoon, our Shovel + Shindig Event turned out to be a huge success. If you haven’t heard, we just made a major expansion announcement, where we revealed the rendering of our new corporate headquarters and announced the launch of two new student programs.
Even though we metaphorically stuck a shovel into the ground yesterday (and buried a time capsule), Shovel + Shindig was more than a groundbreaking event. It was an opportunity for us to celebrate our company’s growth, recommit ourselves to this area and reflect on all of the things that have gotten us to where we are today.
Growth Is a Great Reason To Celebrate.
It’s true we’re growing. Since moving into our current office building 11 years ago, we have grown over 500%, including 120% in the last three years alone. Yesterday we celebrated our company’s national reach in a distinctly Southern way. We enjoyed bluegrass, BBQ and beer – what more do you need for a good time? The entertainment was provided by Left Lane, a local bluegrass band hailing from the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, and the food was catered by Smokin’ Pig, always a crowd favorite.
We’re Digging Pickens County.
When we were searching for a location for our current headquarters back in 2006, we chose Pickens County for one simple reason: the people. If you were to search the entire country, you’d be hard-pressed to find a place with people who work harder and care more for their customers than the folks right here in the Upstate. That’s why, when the time came for us to begin thinking about expanding into our new corporate headquarters, we knew we wouldn’t be going far.
Calling All Local Students.
Our commitment to this area is evidenced by the fact that we just launched two new student programs – the KeyMark Scholarship and JumpStart Internship. Both programs are designed to connect young people in the area with a nationally known, award-winning company.
The KeyMark Scholarship provides 10 qualifying Clemson University School of Computing students from Pickens, Anderson, Greenville and Oconee counties with the opportunity to receive a $1,000 annual scholarship. KeyMark Jumpstart enables qualifying college juniors and seniors to begin working at KeyMark as a part-time, paid intern and transition to a full-time, paid position upon graduation.
The Best Is Yet To Come.
At KeyMark, we have a saying we repeat often: “The best customer is an existing customer.” This saying is more than a clever slogan we plaster on our walls and marketing materials. It’s something we firmly believe. How do you know we believe it? Here are two ways we prove it:
For the last eight consecutive years, our support team has achieved a 90%+ customer satisfaction rating.
For the last three consecutive years, our operational team has a 90%+ customer satisfaction rating.
The two stats above are from blind customer satisfaction surveys, and they’re not insignificant. They show that we are consistently doing everything we can, both in terms of implementation and ongoing support, to make sure our customers are happy customers.
As proud as I am of these and other accolades from our past, I’m even more excited about our future. The journey continues, my friends. Thanks to all of you who are a part of it.
You can watch the complete ceremony on KeyMark’s YouTube channel.
Here are some photo highlights from the event:
