Now after eight years and a variety of different opportunities he couldn't be happier. "I was told very early on by my manager that if I worked hard and was open to stretching myself that I could really grow at this company. I thought he was just saying it to get me to work harder, but it really is true!"

Rich worked as a Delivery Associate for five years in Chicago and then moved to the Rogers, MN Distribution Center where he worked as a Warehouse Associate as well as a Returns Associate. He now works on the Vendor Management team at the Central Campus. "One of the things I am most amazed by is how much everyone has supported my growth. At all of the other places I have worked, they only cared about me getting the work done. Here so many people have taken the time to teach me new things. I feel like I was given a winning lottery ticket."

As a highly motivated person, one of the Room & Board principles that Rich especially enjoys is the focus on individual accountability. "I believe that self guidance is a reward and makes you work harder." But what makes a career with Room & Board the most rewarding for Rich are the relationships. "There are a ton of different types of people here with all different personalities, but there is also something similar about everyone—it must be because Room & Board hires genuine people that value respect."

And now Rich no longer sees himself as waiting around until he discovers what he really wants to do. "There is not one day that I don't wake up—even after 8 years—that I don't want to come to work."