I think it was somewhere around Blacksburg, Virginia on I-81 that my stomach dropped and my heart sunk. Dammit, I thought. I didn’t bring a single pair of dress pants. Armed with two backpacks full of t-shirts, a trash bag filled with shoes, an iPod, three books on CD, and a sleeve of stale saltines I took off towards Charlotte from Philadelphia. The AC was frigid and Can’t be Tamed by Miley Cyrus Turnstiles by Billy Joel was oozing out of my speakers.

It was definitely Billy Joel.

My mom had begged me to buy some dress pants, a decent pair of shoes, and get my hair cut – but I’d neglected all three for some reason. I brought twelve pairs of shoes – none of which would be considered appropriate in a typical office setting – and I’d been growing a truly disgusting, homely-looking, bleached rat tail on the back of my head for the past few months. It wasn’t until I’d made it all the way to southern Virginia when I started worrying. Can I show up in jeans? Can I show up in gray jeans? Can I show up in gray jeans with sneakers? Can I show up in gray jeans with high top sneakers? If I dye my rat tail back to a natural color could it pass for more of a Cristiano Ronaldo look and less of a “Dog the Bounty Hunter” look?

My mind flooded with worries and concerns, and I spent the rest of my drive through North Carolina thinking about what a goon I might look like when I got there. I clearly couldn’t turn around at this point, so I trudged on and pondered the idea of my first day at my internship being an unfettered mockery of my wardrobe. Once I settled in my apartment and met my roommate (also a new intern at Red Ventures), it didn’t help that he gave me a “yikes” when I told him my suitcase was khaki-less and rather denim laden. Thanks for that, buddy.

Fast forward a week now, and I’m sitting at my desk wearing gray jeans, high top sneakers, and a t-shirt. The rat tail is still raging and is bordering on something of a larger member of the order Rodentia – maybe a large squirrel or a woodchuck. Sitting here, examining the vibrant, colorful, gorgeous office in front of me behind the comfort of my own two computer monitors, I think about how foolish it was for me to put so much focus on these trivialities at a company like Red Ventures.

Now that I’m a week into my internship as a copywriter, I’ve already learned so much about what we value here and how things work. Red Ventures cares about making progress and doing it in the most interesting, ground-breaking way possible. Whether this means taking a break to shoot Non-Expanding Recreational Foam darts at co-workers, shooting some hoops mid-day, or staying at work for an extra hour or two to complete a project, everything we do at Red Ventures is to create a truly unique environment while generating truly unique results. To dust off an old cliché, we work hard, we play hard.

After spending a week sitting next to my boss (Hey Allison!!!!!! <333333), my desk has been moved to a new cluster where my fellow copywriting interns and I spend most of our days creating new content for our websites. Gaining the experience to write every day and hone my craft I can already tell will be an invaluable experience for me, but it doesn’t stop there. No matter the department, specialization, or level within the company’s hierarchy, someone is always willing to talk to me about what they’re working on and even ask me for my opinion. The environment is so conducive to collaboration that it seems like everyone has at least a pinky in every cookie jar.

The summer is young, and I’ve got a lot left to see and do here at Red Ventures. With that said, my first week alone has me chomping at the bit for what is yet to come. Khaki-free and full of excitement, I can tell this summer is going to be awesome with Red Ventures.

Long live the rat tail.

- Sandy

Red Ventures has been named the #1 Best Place to Work in Charlotte among large companies by the Charlotte Business Journal! Among ten finalists in our category and hundreds of companies that participated in the selection process, we ranked as the top large company to work for in the city.

The rankings were based on an anonymous employee satisfaction survey administered by Quantum Market Research and perks that include annual trips to the Caribbean, a strong benefits package, and a culture based on innovation and entrepreneurship. While we’ve been a top contender for the award over the past three years, this is the first year we’ve taken the #1 spot.

“This award is a testimony to the fact that the talent we’re attracting and the culture we’re building is our true competitive advantage,” said our CEO Ric Elias. “ Our aspiration is to not only be at the top of this list for years to come, but to be at the top of national best places to work lists, as well.”

You can check out the full story in the Charlotte Business Journal, or read the press release on the Charlotte best companies award at PRWeb.

And don’t forget that we are growing rapidly and need to hire great talent to help us continue expanding our marketing practice areas and business operations teams. Apply today at our website, www.redventures.com/careers!

Red Ventures’ Chief Compliance Officer Ashley Jones was recently named one of the Charlotte area’s Top 25 Women in Business by the Charlotte Business Journal.  Ashley was recognized for her work as a legal advisor and on $100+ million in contracts in 2009. She joined Red Ventures in 2007 and until this year was the sole in-house counsel for the entire company. We decided to ask her a few questions about her life and work here, so you can get to know this outstanding Woman in Business for yourself.

Where did you go to school and what did you study?

Bachelor’s degree in psychology, The College of William & Mary

J.D., University of Richmond’s T.C. Williams School of Law

What did you do before coming to Red Ventures?

I worked for a law firm in Richmond, Virginia called Brown Greer PLC, which does primarily class-action defense work. Through that experience, I realized that I most enjoyed protecting the short and long-term interests of a single company and being part of a business team.

What is a day in your life like?

Every day is different, which is the best part of my job! It can run the gamut from drafting contracts to evaluating regulations to establishing best practices for our marketing practice areas and businesses. Today I met with one team to help them refine their telephone sales process and researched data retention laws for each part of our business. Then I helped another team determine how best to script a new offer, which appeals to our customers, but also adheres to the law and regulations. Throughout each day, my job is to make sure we’re protecting ourselves and our brand partners. We want to grow our business and increase sales, but it has to be done in the right way.

Who has had the biggest influence on your career?

You mean besides my mom (she might read this)?  I’d have to say Mark Brodsky, our CFO. It’s been a great experience to work directly for someone at that level. We have amazing access to the executives here and they genuinely seek our opinions and viewpoints. At RV, it’s “Tell me what you think and make a recommendation about this issue based on your research.” Mark is very smart and balanced in his thinking and decision making; I want to make decisions the way he does, from a business perspective as well as a risk management perspective.

Why do you like working at Red Ventures?

We’re a true team at RV.  Marketing is a collaborative process with lots of moving parts.  Working closely with such brilliant and driven people is a blast. Also, one can really be themselves here. Here, no one hears someone laughing and thinks, “They’re not working hard enough.” I recently spoke with a friend at another company who was surprised that one of the questions on our website to employees is “when did you last laugh at work?”  My friend was shocked and reported that her answer would be “sometime last week.”  That is not going to happen here!  Why shouldn’t we be able to have a good time and still get lots of great work done?

What advice would you give someone considering a career here?

You have to be willing to work hard, make decisions independently and execute very quickly. You have to be creative in solving business problems. It’s very challenging but very rewarding.  Best job I have ever had.

Funniest thing that’s happened to you this week?

We’ve had a lot of fun lately on Friday afternoons with “Name That Tune”, but that’s all I can say (again, my mom might read this).

In mid-November, the entire corporate staff of Red Ventures will fly to Aruba for four days of sun and fun. An annual excursion to the Caribbean has become something of a tradition – this is the third year we’ve taken a trip to a tropical destination just as winter is setting in. On the first morning, the entire group gets together to review all the exciting new businesses, technologies and marketing channels we launched throughout the past year. The rest of the trip is dedicated to relaxation and fun. As we grow, it’s a great way to help preserve a small-company feel – people who don’t normally work together have the opportunity to get to know each other at dinners, events and on excursions.

Let’s look back at some of the memories of trips gone by…

Puerto Rico, 2008
At El Conquistador Resort in Fajardo, Puerto Rico, we enjoyed dramatic views of the Caribbean Sea and Atlantic Ocean from luxurious rooms atop a high cliff on the far northeast corner of the island. Some spent the days relaxing on the resort’s own private island while others went golfing, horseback riding, snorkeling, or shopped and toured Old San Juan. There were pool volleyball matches and an employee talent show. On the last night we had a traditional Puerto Rican feast and a surprise visit from a popular Calypso band.

Cancun, 2009
Last year we chartered a jet bound for Aqua Cancun, a five-star, all-inclusive beachfront resort. What should have been a few days of sun and relaxation turned out to be a couple days of rain and wind as Hurricane Ida inched closer and closer to the Yucatan Peninsula. We had a great time despite the stormy weather; some even made it out to see the Mayan ruins nearby and everyone enjoyed the all-inclusive meals, drinks and room service. The trip was cut short with a dramatic, 3 a.m. emergency evacuation on what should have been our last full day in Cancun. Almost all flights had been grounded due to the incoming hurricane but we somehow got clearance to take off, and just in time. Ida made landfall shortly after we arrived back in Charlotte.

Aruba, 2010
Here’s hoping for plenty of sunshine, lots of laughs and wonderful memories. Stay tuned for photos and stories of our adventure in Aruba.

The Red Ventures recruiting team has announced additional on-campus visits for Fall 2010:

Virginia Tech, October 5, 6 and 7 – On October 5, Red Ventures is holding an information session for interested students. Then, come meet our representatives at the Fall Focus Career Fair on Wednesday, October 6 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Cassell Coliseum. On-campus interviews are available all day on Thursday, October 7 for students with relevant majors and internship experience.

UNC Chapel Hill, October 19 – We’re holding an information session in 239 A/B, Hanes Hall, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. This is highly recommended for students interested in participating in on-campus interviews on November 16.

Duke, October 20 – Come to our information session, which is recommended for students interested in interviewing with us on-campus on November 3. More details coming soon.

Wake Forest, October 21 – Come to our information session, which is recommended for students interested in interviewing with us on-campus on November 2. More details coming soon.

Emory University, October 20-22 – Josh Carlson, SVP of Red Ventures’ Search Engine Optimization and Web Assets teams, will be participating in a Digital Marketing panel discussion on Wednesday, October 20. The next day he will speak to the Emory marketing club as well as interested students from other majors (economics, finance, mathematics, MIS, etc.) at 6 p.m. about careers in online marketing and at Red Ventures. This event is highly recommended for students interested in participating in on-campus interviews, which will take place on Friday, October 22.

Check back regularly; we’ll be adding more on-campus dates and visit details soon!

Red Ventures recently launched our 2010-2011 college recruiting efforts. Look for our recruiters, executives and alumni on your campus soon! Here are some of the career fairs where you’ll find us over the next few months:

Duke University, Wednesday, September 15, 2010 – We’ll be attending Duke’s Fall Career Fair at the Bryan Center from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. You can meet Susan Shanklin, our senior recruiter, and Kevin D’Allaird, our SVP of Search Engine Optimization.

UNC Chapel Hill, Thursday, September 16, 2010 – We’ll be at the UNC Fall Career Expo from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Rams Head Recreation Center. Senior Recruiter Susan Shanklin and Analyst Justin Garnett will be attending.

University of South Carolina, Wednesday, September 29, 2010 – We’ll be at the USC Career Fest Fall 2010 from 12-4 p.m. in the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center.

University of Virginia, Wednesday, February 2, 2011 – We’ll be attending the UVA Spring Job & Internship Fair from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Alumni Hall.

We’ll be adding more dates in the near future, so keep checking back for more information. Also, visit the Red Ventures Career Center to learn more about the 2011 Red Ventures Analyst Program for top-performing 2011 graduates, as well as our Summer 2011 Online Marketing Internships program.

We can’t wait to see you on campus!

Employees at Red Ventures have the chance to help the less fortunate by volunteering with Lives Linked, our company’s nonprofit arm. I’ve had the privilege to be part of it since I started at Red Ventures in 2007. The purpose of Lives Linked is to educate people in the Charlotte area and beyond about world poverty and get them personally involved in changing lives. We’ve worked on lots of interesting and meaningful projects, including developing a curriculum about the realities of world poverty and delivering it to tenth graders at local high schools.

Last month, I took part in an amazing four-day mission trip to an orphanage in Chimeltango, Guatemala, with a group of Red Ventures employees and five “Lives Linked Ambassadors” from Charlotte Catholic High School. The students, all rising seniors, went through the Lives Linked curriculum as sophomores and were selected their junior year from 25 applicants to advise on curriculum updates, help teach the curriculum to the incoming sophomore class, and eventually participate in a mission trip abroad.

The students were tasked with coming up with their own fundraisers and were given both personal and group goals to raise a total of $3,000. Through letters to family and friends and a massive car wash, bake sale and barbecue fundraiser, they blew past their goal and raised over $5,000 to go directly to the orphanage; all travel expenses were paid by Red Ventures.

In late July, our group flew to Guatemala City and then drove nearly two hours into the mountains to the Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos orphanage. The country’s dramatic natural beauty, with small villages on plateaus clinging to steep, tropical mountainsides, is contrasted with the utter poverty of the majority of its people. When we arrived at NPH, we presented them with the funds we had raised along with many other donated items the students gathered beforehand – socks, underwear, clothing and lots of 2010 World Cup soccer balls, jerseys, cleats, shin-guards and gloves. The Ambassadors decided that the money we raised will be used to fund the school’s leadership program for older orphans – the goal of the home is to bring up the children as good Guatemalan citizens and leaders, so none of the children are adopted internationally.  Some of the funds will also be used for the girls’ self esteem group and for new lights on the soccer field.

It was an incredible experience getting to know the 300 warm, loving children who live at NPH. In addition to the academic subjects they study, the children also learn gardening, woodworking and sewing. Each cultivates a row of veggies and can sell crops to the cafeteria to make extra money. The children welcomed us into their lives and were so excited to show us their rooms and their favorite posters and possessions. We played soccer, shared meals, made friendship bracelets and experienced every aspect of daily life. Some of the Guatemalan girls found out that it was one Ambassador’s birthday, so they surprised him with a piñata and birthday cake. My name for the weekend became “Chica Loca” after a bungled attempt to speak Spanish with the girls.

It was a life-changing, eye-opening experience and I hope we’ll be able to return again soon. Anyone who’s interested in doing a short or longer-term mission trip to one of the NPH orphanages in Guatemala or other parts of Latin America can visit http://www.nph.org/. -Krissy D.

Ever since I entered  high school five years ago and became involved with DECA, a club for marketing students, I have always wanted to work in marketing because I love interacting with people and helping to sell a product.  I even chose UNC-Chapel Hill as my university of choice because of its esteemed marketing program.  My entire freshman year I worked to get accepted to the extremely competitive Kenan-Flaglar Business School, and I thought this internship at Red Ventures would be a stepping stone to being accepted to the school, but little did I know that my experience at Red Ventures would change my entire life.

Upon being offered the position to intern at Red Ventures in the Search Engine Optimization group I was extremely excited to be engulfed in a topic that I had next to no experience with, and it has been amazing. Not only have I learned what a “page rank” is and why anyone would ever care about it, but I have also found my true passion in life, writing HTML/CSS and creating web pages.  Ever since Cisco, one of the SEO marketing managers, introduced me to “Head First: HTML with CSS & XHTML” I have not been able to put it down and am planning to continue my reading with the entire “Head First” book line, from “Web Design” to “PHP and MySQL.” As a result of my experience here, I also recently changed my major from marketing to Information Science focusing in Human-Computer Interaction/ User Interface design.

Without this internship at Red Ventures I would have never found my true passion in life and realized that a resume is not only about career experiences but more about tangible skills that you can bring to the table.  -Connor C.

The first thing you learn when choosing the Information Technology profession as your career path is the simple fact that you will never stop learning.  The moment you do, you become as obsolete as the computer you bought three years ago.  Technology continues to move forward and a large portion of a good developer’s job is keeping up.

That is why I put a lot of effort into my search for the right place to start my career long before graduating with my Bachelors degree from ETSU in May 2010.  There were times during my search when I had interviews where I felt I knew more than the developers who were interviewing me!  During some of this frustration, somebody asked me “Wouldn’t that just mean you would have a really good opportunity to soar?”  They make a good point as I am sure I would have quickly become an asset; however, the slightest amount of turbulence and I would end up plummeting because my opportunity to learn from others would greatly decrease.  There is only so much that books and technology magazines can teach you because most of the time you only look when you cannot find a way to solve your problem using something you already know.  That is when having somebody to help you evolve as a developer comes in handy.

Enter Red Ventures.  When I stumbled across this rapidly growing and evolving company almost a year before I graduated I found the Google-like casual business environment pleasing.  I was even more pleased when I applied for the Jr. Web Developer position and started the interview process.  Everybody I spoke with was intelligent and knowledgeable; I would be able to continuously learn while still providing the business its critical technological support.

Two months in, Red Ventures has lived up to my expectations.  From analytical reporting to business critical application development, the avenues of knowledge and tools provided for success are abundant.  Best of all, there are many other developers willing to pause what they are doing to help you with any issues you may have.  This includes but is not limited to the “Pod Leader” sitting right next to you.  A lifetime of learning is continued and a career started.  -Jason H.

This past May, I graduated from UNC Charlotte with a B.S. in computer science.  I love the Charlotte area so when I began my job search my biggest priority was to stay locally.  I first found out about Red Ventures through a web developer job advertisement on UNCC’s career website.  The ad differed greatly from any other ad I had seen.  It sounded like a really exciting opportunity.

I immediately realized that Red Ventures’ hiring process was extremely efficient when they contacted me less than 24 hours after I submitted my resume.  Other companies that I had been in contact with could not come close to that response time.  Not long after submitting my resume I was doing an onsite interview.  As soon as I stepped foot into my designated interview room I knew Red Ventures had the workplace environment that was right for me.  What other company has a meeting room themed after the Mike Tyson scene from The Hangover?  I underwent three onsite interviews and three phone interviews.  Each interviewer made me feel comfortable and answered any question I had about the company and gave me tips on things I could improve on.

The interview process took about three weeks before I was hired. Starting at Red Ventures was a pretty smooth transition compared to other places I have worked.  Many of the people I interviewed with sit right around my desk.  The workplace environment is great.  Everyone is very welcoming.

My future goals are to create and maintain some of my own web applications.  Being at Red Ventures is truly a perfect fit to achieve this.  Every day I’m learning new things that will help me fulfill my goals.  College really helped teach me the basics.  But right now I am learning new things about SEO, PHP, and MySQL at a rate that cannot be compared to any college course.  -Jason T.