Uncommon Personalities

 

 Patrick Jean-Felix, UncommonGoods Operations Team Lead

My hometown is…
Queens, NY

I’m inspired by…
LIFE. We only get one…better live it well!

My favorite process in the UncommonGoods warehouse is…
Packing and Machine. [The “machine” makes packing more efficient, because some of our very durable items can be packed up quickly, which saves us time and energy.]

If I could meet anyone, living or dead, I would choose…
Nelson Mandela.

If you could have 3 wishes granted, they would be…
To live long enough to see my sons grow to be very successful men, to win the Mega Million, and to have three more wishes.

When I was a kid my favorite television program was…
The A-Team.

Would you rather…give up all alcohol for the next 30 days, OR have to cook all of your own meals (no restaurants) for the next 30 days?
I rarely drink. Thirty days without a drink is a normal thing for me.

Paul Kvamme, UncommonGoods Software DeveloperMy hometown is…
Fargo, North Dakota. Well, I was born in Fargo, but raised in Moorhead Minnesota three miles away. But now that I’m here in Brooklyn I feel like Fargo North Dakota is more representative of where I’m from in the mind’s eye of your average Brooklynite.

The tech project I most enjoyed working on at UncommonGoods was…
Uff-Da, there has been quite a few. Some more rewarding and some more challenging, but I think the one I really enjoyed the most was my first large project. I was a packer in the warehouse who had an aptitude for computers and logic, and my manager picked me out for a pretty complex project (especially for me at the time) writing a script which had the end goal of remapping where everything we sell would live in the warehouse based on frequency of orders, space, and paths people would have to move to get things. It really got my juices flowing in a way I hadn’t had things flowing. It was my first time scripting, and for the first time I was turned on to the idea that I could make a living using my brains instead of my hands.

I’m inspired by…
Roadblocks, I guess. If I have an idea and I can figure out how I may be able to execute it but I keep on running into a roadblock I get obsessed with figuring out how to keep moving ahead. I’ve had so much more fun configuring gadgets to act exactly like I want them to (even if what I want is not what they were meant to do) than actually using them.

My favorite place to hang out in New York City is…
Do I lose points if I say at home with my wife?

An uncommon fact about me…
I don’t like this question…

When I’m not working, I’m probably…
Trying to resist the temptation to read comic books instead of learning new things about programming languages.

The word that best describes me…
Paul Kvamme. Oops, one word… umm… Pawlcuame? Pawlcwaumee?

Since working at UncommonGoods I’ve learned…
I’ve learned how to do a lot. I keep finding reasons to learn new things as I pick up odd jobs from all over the company. When faced with a project, if I know it is possible but I don’t yet know how, it’s that much more exciting.

With a pile of stuff in front of me I would make…
You’re given a foot of string, an empty gallon ice cream carton, duct tape, a pound of shredded newspaper, a long-sleeved flannel shirt, and a pineapple.

Where did I get all this stuff from? Am I on a desert island? Am I locked in a room with this stuff? This question is a little intimidating.

Joel Villa, UncommonGoods Area Operations ManagerMy hometown is…
More like a “homestate.” I grew up in a lot of small towns in Arizona, and a few in New Mexico, but I usually tell people I’m from Phoenix, Arizona.

I’m inspired by…
Creativity: Fashion. Art. Music.

My favorite process in the UncommonGoods warehouse is…
Gift Box – It requires all the care and speed of every other area with less heavy-lifting (which I get a good dose of in Scanning & Stacking, where I regularly work).

Describe your style…
My philosophy has always been: Fashion over function – you must look good always. Despite working in a physical, dirty job, I still enjoy dressing with eccentric, avant-garde, and eclectic panache. You never know when a Galliano or Wintour might pass you on the street or decide to tour the UG warehouse…

The #1 most played song on my iPod is…
I would imagine it’s some Broadway musical powerhouse number, probably “A New Life” from Jekyll and Hyde.

If you could throw the perfect party…
It would be some satirical affair, simply for a good laugh and photo-ops. I’ve often discussed planning one called “Sad Hour,” where table-for-one’s are set up, and only sad, depressing Adele-esque songs are played, with a mandatory high society dress code; mingling is optional.

If I could learn anything, it would be…
It seems simple enough if it weren’t for my procrastination, but I’ve always wanted to learn guitar and piano.

Would you rather… wear the same outfit for a year, OR listen to no music for a year?
There is no way I could go without music for a year. Wearing the same outfit for a year sounds like a fun and challenging project, involving how-to blogging, insta-tracking, accessorizing, and lots of creativity. I might just do it now!

Raymundo Franco, UncommonGoods Operations SupervisorMy hometown is…
Brooklyn, New York

I’m inspired by…
Hard work.

When I’m not working I’m probably…
Playing handball… so see me in the courts.

The best luck I’ve had in my life so far was…
Having siblings.

My favorite ITC process is…
QA’ing orders. (Checking to make sure everything is accurate.)

An uncommon fact about me…
I actually draw whenever I get some type of inspiration.

Working at UncommonGoods, I’ve learned…
To use Microsoft Excel more than I ever have before.

Would you rather… have the ability to fly OR to be invisible?
I’d rather have the ability to fly so that I could go anywhere in the world whenever I’d like.

Fabian Garcia, UncommonGoods Operations Associate Supervisor My hometown is…
New York City

I’m inspired by…
My kids.

My favorite process in the UncommonGoods warehouse is…
THE MACHINE! (A machine in our warehouse that allows us to automatically pack certain products, saving time and packing materials.)

Since working at UncommonGoods I’ve learned…
How to be more vocal.

The word that best describes me…
Punctual, leader, and determined. Oh you only wanted one. Lol.

My guilty pleasure is…
Playing video games.

If my 3rd grade teacher could see me now, he or she would say…
“I’m so proud of you for the person you are today.”

Would you rather…have perfect self-discipline OR no self-discipline, but never feel frustrated?
No self-discipline.

Cassie Tweten Delaney, Senior Editor

My hometown is…
Fargo-Moorhead (North Dakota-Minnesota). It’s an interesting situation where two cities form one metropolitan area, but the area spans two states. Technically, I grew up in Moorhead, so I’m a Minnesotan. Yes, people there really do say things like “you betcha” and “Uff da.”

I’m inspired by…
Science, and fiction, and science fiction.

My guilty pleasure is….
How I Met Your Mother. (I read ahead.) Actually, TV in general. I make a lot of slightly outdated pop culture references (mostly to The Simpson’s seasons 1-10 and Seinfeld), but I’m also completely addicted to a bundle of more recent shows, like Game of Thrones and Mad Men.

An uncommon fact about me…
The first published copy I ever wrote appeared in my city’s newspaper when I was 12 years old, after I won a contest asking students to create an advertisement for a local bank. I did the art for the ad as well. I ended up building a career around writing, but my drawing ability hasn’t improved much over the past couple of decades.

My favorite bookstore in New York City is…
This is a tough one. It depends on what I’m looking for. My favorite used bookstore is Unnamable Books in my neighborhood. To browse what’s new I’ll stop in at Greenlight Bookstore. If I’m not really sure what I want, I’ll head to the Strand, because they have everything.

My favorite episode of How I Met Your Mother is…
That one where Ted tells a funny story that has very little to do with how he actually met their mother. (But if I actually had to pick, I think I’d say the one where the gang sets up rules for becoming “a real New Yorker” and they all race to see Woody Allen eating at a restaurant downtown.)

Since working at UncommonGoods I’ve learned…
The importance of TAGFEE (Transparent, Authentic, Generous, Fun, Empathetic, Exceptional) and the value of working on a team that believes in the power of those tenets.

Also, through working on this Uncommon Personalities project, I’ve learned how interesting and funny my co-workers really are.

Would you rather…never get to shop on the Internet again OR only get to express yourself in 140 characters or less for the rest of your life?
I can be pretty wordy, so I think I’d have to go with not shopping on the Internet. It might be a fun challenge to find a loophole and figure out how to buy things anyway (without really breaking the rules).

Sheronne Peters, UncommonGoods Vendor Operations CoordinatorMy hometown is…
Brooklyn, NY

An uncommon fact about me…
It could be a slight Napoleon complex I have going on or having an older brother but I am a very competitive person, always aiming to win. I frequently have silent walking competitions with unaware people on the street – SSHHH!

Working at UncommonGoods I’ve learned…
There are people out there that are genuinely ready to help you better yourself.

I’m inspired by…
People, good or bad; their actions in one way or another shape how I choose to carry myself.

If my 6th grade teacher could see me now, he or she would say…
“Aww, Ms. Peters, we still can’t get you to stop talking.”

The most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen is…
When I was about twelve, my older brother pulled the “I’m older” card when we discovered bubble gum flavored toothpaste in my house, so he went first to try it out. About a minute into brushing with his teeth tightly clamped together he mumbles, “is ooo.” I’m sitting there with tooth brush in hand waiting my turn and he continues, “is ooo.” It turned out to be bubble gum flavored denture glue and he glued his mouth shut. It may not be what people constitute as a beautiful thing to see, but I’ve never laughed so hard. With the cool persona my brother tends to portray, this was a beautiful thing to me.

If I won the lottery, I’d…
Donate to as many charities as I can without going too overboard, this little lady would like to own a house of her own someday.

Would you rather…have your own library filled with every book you’ve ever read or wanted to read OR have the ability to remember any 10 books word for word?
I’ve never said this out loud–but I don’t like when people are able to quote parts of movies during conversations, like I’m supposed to know what they’re talking about. 99% of the time I wouldn’t know, even if I’ve seen the movie numerous times. So you would imagine this goes for books as well… so library of books it is!