Project Valentine

Left hand gripping the steering wheel while my right hand rested on the thigh of a girl sitting in the passenger seat. This was the same old story year after year, except this time around it was different. With the cruise control locked at 80, I was flying down i-55 with my palm pressed down on black Italian leather. Instead of a thigh, I was holding my briefcase - chanting in my head that I was married to the grind.

Project Valentine... Possibly thousands of cakes would be sent out for a promotion portillos was running. Got a call that we'd be closing all of our offices for a few days to work out of the main HQ to help with this event. For those who don't know, I've been working as a DTB in Strategy and Operations for DoorDash since June of 2017. My main focus is on orientating and activating new drivers in Illinois. I've had somewhere around 500-650 meetings in the past few months alone. For the first time, we'd be getting together with other people in our department from across the midwest.

In the heart of downtown in a building a few blocks west of Magnificent Mile, we all spent the next few days glued to our machines. Learning to use some new systems was a vacation from the normal in-office grind. It feels great to be a part of a team all working towards the same goal. I've worked many positions aside from building up The Robot Panda over the years - and without a doubt, DoorDash is one of the best companies I've had the opportunity to work with. There's something about the team? The way everyone gets along and goes out of their way to help each other. Its a trait that I didn't think humans truly possessed.

It's exciting to be a part of something that's been growing so fast. With thousands of orders being placed daily, the company is doing its part in spreading, "good". Trying to summarize three full days of work into one article doesn't do the event any justice, but this story is far from being over.

Live from the battlefield.

Panda.