This month, AvePoint’s most competitive employees gathered to compete in the
JP Morgan Chase Corporate Challenge, a 3.5 mile run that took place in Chicago, IL and New York, NY, amongst other locations around the world.
Our first six brave runners came from our Chicago office, competing alongside a near-record 20,030 runners in Grant Park on Thursday, May 24. On Thursday, June 14, 24 fearless runners from our Global Headquarters in Jersey City, NJ competed alongside 15,000 others in beautiful Central Park.
Employee wellness, giving back to the community, and building team camaraderie are important initiatives that are a part of
our culture here at AvePoint. The Corporate Challenge is the perfect example of an event that allows us to get together outside of the office environment while doing something that is fun and healthy!
No strangers to this event, with it being the second straight year that our Global Headquarters and Chicago office participated, we had high hopes for all of our runners. AvePoint employees did not disappoint!
A proud representative of our Chicago office, this was my first race – EVER. I was unsure of what to expect and I kept asking myself, “Will I be fast enough?” When the team arrived at the park, thousands of runners were gathered around in preparation. My nervousness grew as we waited to begin our run, but as soon the siren went off and all of the runners shot out of the gate, the atmosphere was just incredible! Everyone was excited and pushing themselves to run harder and faster! Now I know why races can be addicting! As I crossed the finish line, I was really proud of myself and knew that every other runner felt the same way!
The fastest member of our Chicago team, Enterprise Account Executive Ryan Seveska, completed impressively in 26 minutes (top 12% out of the 9,854 men that competed)! Here is a picture of Ryan after he finished the race:
The fastest member of our Global Headquarters crew, Director of Global Communications Chris Musico, finished in only 25:06 and didn’t seem to break a sweat! Here is a picture of Chris (in the black T-shirt) crossing the finish line:
The Corporate Challenge also raises money to help support philanthropic causes specific to each participating city. The Chicago event proceeds went to the Greater Chicago Food Depository which fights hunger in Cook County – last year, the Depository distributed more than 66 million pounds of food. This year, proceeds from the New York City run went to the Central Park Conservancy, which restores, manages, and enhances the beauty of Central Park for the enjoyment of the public.
Both events were incredible – the crowd, the energy, the sweat! It is an experience like none other to run alongside thousands of others and cross that finish line! Turns out, I wasn’t that fast – but getting to know AvePoint employees and hanging out after the race made the event a success! It also feels great knowing that our efforts are benefiting our own communities by supporting the aforementioned charities and encouraging our employees to focus on their health.
The top three scores from the Chicago office:
1. Ryan Seveska - 26:00
2. Bill Bouhoutsos, Account Executive - 30:15
3. Paul Zimmermann, Account Executive - 31:56
The top three scores from Global Headquarters (Jersey City):
1. Chris Musico - 25:06
2. Lardy Liu, Infrastructure Lead - 26:52
3. Alex Merola, Senior Technical Solutions Professional - 26:55
Global Headquarters Team
AvePoint Chicago Team
Sounds like a team you'd want to be a part of? Join us! Visit our
Careers page to apply for open positions around the world.