What is PGAV Thankful for?

 

Thanksgiving is finally upon us. As we make plans to shuttle our relatives home from the airport and dig up Great Aunt Ida’s secret corn casserole recipe (how does she get it so creamy!?), we’re taking a moment to reflect on the true meaning of the holiday.

While warming up for tomorrow’s Turkey Trot, we polled our team to discover the things we’re most thankful for this season.

Of all the responses we received, one in particular stood above the rest. Everyone who weighed in expressed thankfulness for their families. Whether they mentioned “getting to spend time with family” or conveyed gratitude for a “very patient and tolerant spouse and family,” our answers made it clear that those nearest and dearest to our hearts are the best things in our lives. That being the case, this may be our most thankful Thanksgiving yet, as several PGAV families have grown since last year. One team member recalled “an amazing trip to England and Ireland, where I got engaged,” while another expressed thanks for “my wife and now one-year-old daughter – seeing her grow and learn every day is quite the blessing.”

Although not everyone’s trip this year included an engagement celebration, seeing the world was another prominent feature of our list. “The excitement gained through travel and refueling the creative fires” made 2019 a year to remember for several PGAVers.

Closer to home, our Destinologists are thankful they “get to do what we love for a living.”

“I am thankful that every day I get to learn about things I’d never otherwise have an opportunity or need to know,” said one designer. “Each day brings a new and unpredictable challenge.”

While some PGAVers revel in “little moments of team inspiration” and others adore the warmth and comfort of a heated desk blotter, many feel fortunate for being “given immense responsibility” at PGAV. As one individual stated, “it creates opportunity to grow and develop that only comes from complex problem-solving under myriad variables.”

The entire studio is brimming with excitement for the upcoming St. Louis Aquarium, opening by the end of the year. It’s a challenge just to contain our enthusiasm. “I look forward to seeing guests from my own city and from around the world enjoy a destination on which I have been working diligently for almost three years,” said one designer from the team.

 

Some of our longest-standing PGAVers shared their wisdom by expressing continuous thanks for the little things, whether it was good health, making people laugh and smile, the freedom to express themselves, or “creating bullet lists about the things I’m thankful for!”

Marie Shellenberg, our Manager of Optimizing MOJO, may have best summarized what PGAV is thankful for this year. “I am thankful for my work family,” she said. “We have a great group of people here at PGAV, and I’m honored to be a part of the family.”

We wish you the very best in warmth, fun, and friendship this Thanksgiving. As you’re off making new memories with your family, we hope your list of things to be thankful for is just as expansive as our own!