Saragossa Regional Director, John Davies, reflects on relocating to the US office from Bristol and how the last 12 months have been for him.
Over a year of living life in the mid-west!
Relocating from the UK to Chicago.
As I reflect on the past year, it feels as though I should be writing about what a big move it’s been, maybe talking about how daunting it was and the risk I may or may not have taken.
But I’m not – and that’s probably the perfect summary of my time in Chicago so far.
Monday to Friday is very much Saragossa, what I have been used to over the past eight + years and what we’ve built.
Each team member would be at home in either of our UK offices and that’s made my transition to life in the US a smooth one. I think that’s largely referred to as culture!
Chicago is a cool place
‘We’ get four genuine seasons to experience (the winters aren’t that bad) and plenty of Chicago sport to get behind.
If I was in Miami, New York, San Diego, Austin etc I’d probably find that “cool” as well, there’s an element of it just being “new”, but after 12 + months it safe to say that Chicago is a unique place to be.
The beach, Lake Michigan, The Riverwalk all within close proximity. The food scene is exactly as advertised and the people are unbelievably welcoming. Shoutout Adrian Boone II for showing me the ropes.
Team Growth
Our initial team of six will be a team of 16 next month and Chicago was our most profitable business unit globally, in May & June – two proud milestones for me.
We are hoping to secure a new site in the coming weeks which will see us move to new premises in August and support the continued growth of the team.
I’m not sure what the latest studies on time at work vs home would say, but I feel very fortunate to spend the majority of my time with a team of ambitious, genuine, and positive individuals.
Cons
The chocolate just isn’t the same, I’ve had to accept the term “soccer” and my family is 4,000 miles away. The journey our US operation is on, coupled with the excitement that comes with that, is enough to cushion the blow, but it’s tough!
The opportunity here is huge.
The team we’ve assembled are serious about their careers. The accountability for completing tasks is consistent across all team members, there is positivity and fearlessness about day-to-day obstacles and this is forming a genuinely high-performing culture.
I’ve spent some time in our Bristol and London offices in recent days. Our culture and identity are consistent throughout our organization, regardless of the geographical location. This helps to create a real togetherness despite the obvious challenges.
Here’s to the next 12 months, a new office, new team members, new challenges, and new stories to tell.
