Every once in a while, we like to show off one of our hard-working, detail-oriented problem solvers. Take a moment to see who's in the spotlight today!
Name: Emily LaPane
1st Day at Avalon: 08/05/2024
Current Position: Account Director
Tell us “your story.” How did you end up at Avalon?
Love this question – I’ve done a lot of different things: sweet tofu scraper at a Cantonese restaurant, National IFS Investment Dial Team Manager for one of the largest banks in the U.S., sommelier, and more. At one point, I was the official mascot for Buffalo Wild Wings (Barry the Buffalo), the brown M&M and even went on tour with Home-a-Rama as the grapes for Fruit of the Loom. During COVID, I started a grocery shopping business targeting high value clientele in Virginia, it took off and I was able to get my wife out of working in restaurants as a chef/put her through college (she’s a Senior Generative AI Engineer now).
A lot of my clients that I shopped for worked in sales, so after my wife graduated and we had two incomes, at their advice I ended up in LegalTech and loved working with attorneys. In fact, I loved it so much that when I was job-hunting the only barometer that really mattered was: do I want these people to be my “forever coworkers”? Once I interviewed with Avalon, met the leadership team, along with having a side-by-side with my team partner, Sarah – it was undeniable that this was a “right time, right place” situation and I took the leap. It’s a year later and I can’t imagine working anywhere else – I never stop being amazed, challenged, and supported by these incredible people.
What’s your favorite thing about Avalon?
Easily it’s how ready to engage the team is – there’s almost a “we ride at dawn” mentality for the customer and we all seemingly click into place to make projects happen. Everyone holds each other to such a high standard that it almost seems impossible, then we make it possible and set the bar even higher next time. I’ve become the fastest, sharpest and best version of myself just trying to outrun my coworkers.
What’s your favorite thing about your position at Avalon?
No day plays by the same rules. I can be working on a few things and then suddenly: BAM, take a sharp left and turn into the unknown because a client has a fastball need. I love always being on my toes. It’s an anxious (and dare I say, exciting) element to have in your life of never quite knowing what’s around the corner.
What is your proudest moment at Avalon?
We have a Senior Account Director here named Scott Rothschild who’s just SO incredible – like, I didn’t know that people could be built so brilliant and simultaneously humble. Scott has a way of communicating that’s super direct and he’s an excellent listener. After being a long-time fan of his, he gave me a little mini class one day on how to refine my communication style, so it was cleaner and got to the point faster. It was so wildly uncomfortable to adjust this and implement his advice but once I figured out how to pivot, a lot changed for me.
What I was saying became more digestible and I could focus on what others were saying to me versus how I was going to respond – not just at work but at home. As someone who had spent a lifetime trying to correct this, I was so proud to finally get over that hurdle. I’ll never stop being grateful to Scott.
What does a typical workday look like for you?
I spend the morning titrating as much caffeine as I can, along with eating a shameful amount of frozen sour gummy bears (seriously, if you call me on Teams at 8:30am, I’m already well into a bag – I know it’s weird and unhealthy, but life is too short not to slam 25.6 solid ounces of gummy bears every morning) while I work on administrative tasks and map out my goals for the day.
Once I’ve hit the perfect apex of caffeine and sugar (approximately one bag of gummy bears intended for a family, three iced blueberry matcha lattes, one liquid multivitamin shot, a cup of coffee and a half gallon of water for balance or whatever), it’s time to pick up the phone and start making calls. I do that all day while bobbing and weaving both current and prospective client projects in. Sometimes my manager, Andrew Guffey, calls me and we have strategy sessions midday while I continue to eat sour gummy bears.
What’s your favorite workplace memory?
Easy – my first Kickoff Meeting with Avalon this past January. A coworker and I made a predictive grid where we guessed everyone’s height before meeting in person. Let’s just say some people were way taller (and a few shorter) than we expected. It was hilarious comparing my guess, his guess, and the actual truth when we finally met face-to-face.
What are you listening to right now (music/podcast/audio book)?
I am almost ALWAYS listening to the same playlist of Queen, Bee Gees, Chuck Berry, Billy Joel, The Platters, ABBA, Three Dog Night, etc.
What’s a must-read blog or book that you’ve read recently and why?
Probably The Six Wives of Henry VIII by Alison Weir. I’ve read every work of English Reformation non-fiction. It’s a life’s goal of mine to be a bona fide expert in Tudor dynasty history.
What’s your favorite motivational quote?
“What do you say we dig one more hole?” – Stanley Yelnats to Zero in Holes
If you could go anywhere on vacation, where would it be and why?
My wife is a woman of refined taste and expectation. She wants a lot out of life: she wants to travel all over Asia, South America, Europe, and the like. However, about seven years ago, she jokingly said that we should go to Little Rock, AR, for our honeymoon but I literally never forgot about it. Because seriously, where does she get off joking about going to Little Rock? Because it’s purportedly “less exotic” than the Amalfi Coast? Who does she think she is?
I’d like to teach her a lesson, maybe see out the end of a long con, if you will. I’d like to trick my wife into thinking we’re going on a surprise grandiose mystery trip – all to get to the airport and blindside her with a trip to Little Rock. That’ll show her.
If you were stuck on an island and could only bring three things, what would they be?
One manufactured home with solar panels, one TV/DVD combo, one DVD copy of Miss Congeniality.
What do you do for fun?
I love to cross stitch realistic portraits of celebrities into pillows – to date I’ve made Dr. Phil (who we lovingly call Dr. Phillow), Elvis, Freddie Mercury, RuPaul and my hairless cats (JeremyBearimy, Rasputin, and Jean Ralphio Sapperstein LaPane).
I love to go to the theater, take part in stand-up comedy competitions, collect rare Kenner Star Wars action figures from 1972-1980, and performing as all six “merry murderesses” simultaneously in my personal rendition of the “Cell Block Tango” from Chicago for my wife almost every night.