Every year, the KIND Snacks IT team uses April Fools as an excuse to celebrate our awesome CIO with an office takeover. Last year, they transformed it into a 70’s disco, and this year he arrived to find a full safari. That’s a good look for you, K!
Archive for the ‘KIND’ Category
“We can’t do everything. Let’s prioritize and do a few things really well.”
I’m so thankful for this advice and countless other lessons from KIND Snacks’ outgoing COO & President John Leahy over our 9 year partnership. John was a particularly good partner because he recognized that ideas and creativity are important – indeed vital – to the business, so he didn’t dismiss all my crazy ideas outright. He just helped filter the creativity and ensure discipline to identify one “wild” pursuit that we were equipped to handle at a time. Though John is retiring this year, I know his advice will endure at KIND. I can’t stop my brain from waking me at 3am with an idea, nor do I want to. What I do is surround myself with smart partners that can help me filter and operationalize them. https://bit.ly/2C7qx8s
This petition asks the FDA to stop unhealthy foods from advertising their one healthy ingredient
Published under KIND, KIND Snacks Mar 13, 2019At the grocery store, we often think items are healthy because the packaging says “good source of protein” or “excellent source of fiber” – when in reality, those products could be empty calories or full of sugar. Consumers deserve clearer labels to help them make informed decisions. That’s why KIND in partnership with a group of public health experts, is petitioning the FDA to bring more transparency to food labels by updating its nutrient content claim regulations.
This week we are celebrating Jaclyn Fishkow’s 10 year anniversary with KIND. One of my greatest pleasures at KIND has been seeing team members grow and blossom in so many ways. Jaclyn joined us as an assistant in March 2009 when KIND was just 5 years old. We all quickly recognized that she was extraordinarily smart and hard-working. She has held a variety of roles on our Supply Chain & Operations team since then, and 10 years later, as our Senior Manager of Operations Analysis, she continues to grow and exceed all expectations. Congratulations, Jaclyn! To many more!
Based on how our story began, you wouldn’t expect my relationship with John Leahy to amount to anything. In 2009, our investors persuaded me to hire a president, a partner to manage the day-to-day at KIND Snacks. I agreed to meet John because he came at the strong recommendation of our head of finance, Dan Kruk, but we had already completed our search and were about to make an offer to someone else (which I kindly told John during our meeting). Meanwhile, John almost didn’t make it to our meeting. As a 5 year old start up with just 30 team members, we were in a decrepit office space above a restaurant that nearly scared him away. It was a far cry from what he was used to in his extensive career in much more established corporations. After Dan convinced him to come inside he and I spent 3 hours together, and it became clear that he was the person for the job. He quickly became the yin to my yang, and KIND would not be where it is today without all he has done to drive the business and keep the trains running on time over the last 9 years. As he transitions into a well deserved retirement this year, I can’t say that I’m going to miss him because I’m not going to let him go as a friend and adviser, but I will certainly miss our daily partnership.
As I told our team at our NY holiday party last night, what makes me so proud of the KIND Snacks team is not just what they’re building, but how they are doing it. From the passion that the team brings to their work and the care that they demonstrate for one another, I feel grateful to learn from them each day.
Yesterday afternoon we closed our offices, and the entire KIND Snacks team went out to give back in their local communities. I am proud of our team, not just for taking the time to volunteer, but for the care and compassion with which they served their community members. I was fortunate to visit two organizations - AHRC New York City where we did art projects with individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and ACE New York Programs for the Homeless where we did interview prep. Thank you to all of our Day of Service organizations for your warm hospitality and the incredible work that you do.
I love seeing the next generation of our growing KIND family, like this adorable munchkin! She belongs to our IT Project Manager, Millie Biswas. Clearly, she is developing excellent taste from a young age.
I’m super excited to introduce our new KIND Kids™ Bars. It’s hard to top my excitement about KIND Snacks launches, but I think my kids have me beat on this one.
