Our lovely Rachel Richards

As a Midwestern gal—born and raised—it was a struggle to pull me out of sweet, sweet Michigan. Working, sleeping and living in an automotive market was the only way of life that I knew. Shortly after we married, my husband and I decided to flee the Midwest and head to the West Coast, but only after careful review, evaluation and more evaluation of our future. Sticking to what I knew in the automotive world seemed right; it was comfortable for me at the time. It was 1 ½ years after living the dream in California that I realized, I really wasn’t living the dream at all. I needed a change. There was something telling me to move over into the .com world and I realized that the Rubicon Project was where I needed to be. I just knew in my heart, it would be a good learning experience and the perfect new chapter I was looking for.

On one fine Friday afternoon, I received the call I had been waiting for: “WE WANT TO OFFER YOU A JOB WITH THE RUBICON PROJECT!” I couldn’t see straight I was so excited. Yet, there was still that uncertain feeling I had towards change. I had no idea what was about to happen to me with the Rubicon Project.

It was Thursday, July 30 when everything fell into place and I realized the power and reputation of the Rubicon Project. My coworker, Devan Fearman, and I were heading to Twiistup 6 to meet up with our Twiistup Scholarship winners (big shout out to Jay Gergen and Ben Jackson) when everything clicked. Showing my black and red pride, I felt as if I was at my wedding all over again. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t make it to the bar for a glass of champagne.

Throughout the night we were being stopped by Twiistup attendees asking the same question “Hey – You work for the Rubicon Project?” They usually followed with “You guys seem to be everywhere” or “Tell me more, what do you guys do?” My favorite was “Are you hiring?” What a proud feeling it was to know I am truly part of something so huge, something bigger than I could ever imagine.

It was also an honor to be among some of the most innovate companies that make up our LA tech community. The energy was buzzing and I enjoyed meeting some of our most creative, smart and successful neighbors. One of my favorites was BakeSpace. Besides not being able to resist the delicious tower of mini cupcakes they had at their table, I’m in love with the idea behind their business. If you haven’t heard of BakeSpace, it’s an online community where people from around the world can gather to post, search and swap recipes. Perfect for a girl who just moved from Michigan and misses out on dinner parties with hometown friends.

Showing off our favorite company

Needless to say, I had a great time representing the Rubicon Project at my first industry event. And without question, I can sit here today and say, “I’m the happiest I have been in 1 ½ years.” To be offered the experience of a lifetime and love waking up every morning to go into work is priceless. To be greeted by some of the most down-to-earth, fun loving, brilliant people every day is priceless.

The best part about it all is YES, the Rubicon Project is hiring!! How many companies can say that these days??!!

I could go on-and-on with my thoughts and excitement as a new hire and, of course, my experiences as I move through the busy world of a start-up company as their Marketing and Events Manager, but I’ll spare you. I hope and pray every night that I help to shape the Rubicon Project as it has helped to shape the new chapter of my life. Thanks to all and Cheers to happiness!

*This is an exerpt from Rachel’s personal blog that she was kind enough to share with us, thanks Rachel!