Transitions - Quiksilver

I started this blog to document my travels for work - specifically when those travels took me to Manchester, England earlier this year. When I left Manchester in July, I was assigned to a project in Huntington Beach, California working for Quiksilver. Quik started selling boardshorts to the local surfing community back in the '70s and has transitioned into a multi-billion dollar company specializing in sportswear for men, women and children. There are not many pictures to share from this project as I flew home every week (which should also explain the lapse of blog entries over the past 6 months - I have been in a near-constant state of jet lag). But I would be remiss if I did not include a least a few pictures. So, here you go.

I was really lucky to have two great Tr@deStone team members on the project with me - Alicia and Kevin. And they must be represented in the blogosphere! I will miss working with them - I spent more time with them then anyone else in the past 6 months! We had a running joke at Quik that we were "in the closet."

Let me explain - as most consultants will agree, we (consultants in general) are not exactly given top of the line accomodations at client sites. Since we are transitional "employees," there are not generally offices or even cubicles available to us. We work where there is space. As long as we have a table, a chair and an internet connection, we are good to go. Phones are sometimes optional. That's one of the many reasons we have cell phones. :-) At Quik, we were assigned workspace in the "Sportswear Closet" (that's what the phone said as our caller ID whenever we called anyone). Basically, it was the sample room. We were surround by next year's collection of boardshorts, ski jackets, shirts and pants (and some of them are really cool - you'll see). Near the end of the project, Quik needed to relocate us to another workspace, so our joke then became that we "came out of the closet." I don't have any pictures of the closet, but here are some others.

Alicia hard at work in our "new" workspace








Kevin in front of one of the many great surfing posters that can be found all over the offices








This was the poster I looked at from my desk in the new workspace - pretty much looked at this model's behind! LOL









Sunset on Sunset Beach - Alicia and her boyfriend Sam hosted a roll-off barbeque for Kevin and I. I was able to take off my shoes and walk on the beach in February and I even picked up a few shells to bring home.