Summer Picnic 2011 Video Recap

We can't believe that the end of the summer is already here and that it is over 2 months since we held our annual summer picnic!

Well with the summer coming to an end, we wanted to pass along our memories of Summer 2011 with a video recap of our Summer Picnic which was held in mid-June at Black Bear Lake in Millstone Township, New Jersey.

Although it was not the sunniest of days, we had a blast with our families and members of the Comrise Community from across the country. Thanks again to everyone who attended the picnic and we hope you enjoy the video below! For those who were not able to attend this year, we hope to see you at next year's picnic! (And if you want to see what you missed at this past year's summer picnic...check out the video below!)

Hope everyone has a safe and enjoyable labor day weekend! Enjoy!

Showing Our Pride

Announcing Our New 'Community' Page!

It may be a little behind, but Comrise is proud to unveil our a new page on our website dedicated to our social outreach efforts. If you've been following this blog, you already know about our recent food drive, toy drive, and blood drive, and won't be surprised to hear that we'll be holding many more similar events down the line. Helping our community is important to us here at Comrise, and will continue to be in the future.

This new page will help us keep the world updated on our service projects, and will also serve as a message to the community and to the world that Comrise is here to help. We're proud to lend a hand to our community and we hope to serve as a role model to other organizations that sometimes have trouble seeing beyond the walls of an office building. We believe it's important to use the business platform not only to deliver a product or service, or to make a profit, but also to use the power of the organization to do good for others as well.

Comrise's dedication to the idea of Community has always been visible in our Mission Statement and will now also be visible on our website.

If you have any ideas for future community service projects, or would like to be part of our next one, please let us know! Leave a comment here or email community@comrise.com.

What are you doing to serve your community?

Congratulations Khevna!

On behalf of the team here at Comrise, we would like to congratulate current Comrise Consultant Khevna Oza at Johnson & Johnson for receiving a certificate of recognition from Johnson & Johnson and WorkSense. Khevna has been recognized for her outstanding performance and continued assistance throughout critical projects and initiatives.


As a token of Comrise's appreciation for Khevna's tremendous efforts, Comrise's Director of Consultant Relations, Tony DiGiovanni, and Senior Technical Recruiter Latish Salian met with Khevna and her manager Randall Drisgula earlier this week to reward her with a pair of tickets to an upcoming New York Yankees game.


Khevna, once again congratulations and thank you for representing Comrise. We appreciate having you as a member of our team and look forward to continuing to work with you in the future.

- The Entire Comrise Team

Comrise Facebook Contest Winner

2011 is all about goals for Comrise. We have set a number of goals for ourselves, crossing them off upon completion one by one. We set ourselves a goal of having 100 Facebook Fans by February and we were able to do just that. The 100th person liked our fan page on January 31st and gave us an opportunity to celebrate a little. Comrise is constantly looking for opportunities to reward people, whether it be in-house employees, consultants, clients or community members. Therefore, we took this to be the perfect opportunity to reward Jim Feighan, a Comrise Consultant, $100 Amazon gift card. Congratulations Jim, we are honored to give this prize to a Comriser!

Stay tune for our upcoming Facebook Contest #2, count on more prizes to come!

Click here and become a Comrise Facebook Fan now!

Happy (Belated) Chinese New Year

One of the best Comrise traditions that we like to celebrate as a company is ringing in the new Chinese year. Although we are a diverse group and may not have always celebrated this tradition with our own families and previous roles, it is a Comrise company tradition I've personally come to enjoy.

2011 marks "The Year of the Rabbit" (beginning on February 3, 2011). This Chinese zodiac, one of 12, is most well known for velocity and agility. As a company, Comrise hopes to take on the year with motivation and adaptability. We're excited about many new successes and projects that are sure to emerge during this year. Even better - the last "rabbit year" was 1999 which brought many companies economic group at the height of the dotcom boom. We know this year will not disappoint!


Our entire US team took time to celebrate this upcoming year by sharing a luncheon together at Crowne Palace in Marlboro, NJ. What better way to ring in a new year full of hopeful prosperity and luck?

100 - Our Lucky Number!

Social media is everywhere, quite literally. Comrise has fully embraced social media and is looking to broaden our online community. By February, our goal is to have 100 Fans on Facebook. One person will be drawn as a winner and we are always looking to show our gratefulness to our community members.

Facebook, serves as a vital information portal for Comrise where you can learn about Comrise the company, Comrise the culture, events, news and so much more. Take a moment to "Like" us on Facebook and take a peek around our profile. We always have a lot of exciting events and news to share you. Plus, stay tune for more fun contests to come!

Help us reach our "100 Fans" goal, by the end of this week one of our fans will be winning a $100. Only 9 more fans away from a winner!

Click on the link below and “Like” our fan page!

Comrise on Facebook

Let Freedom Ring

Check out the following email that was sent out to the Comrise Staff on Martin Luther King Day in celebration of his efforts:

It was 48 years ago that one black man stood up on behalf of all colored men for justice. In 1963 Martin Luther King Jr. gave one of the most famous speeches in American History, "I Have a Dream." It serves as a pivotal moment in our history marking the dawn of a new era, an era which we experience today with equality, brotherhood and complete nationalism. As a country we have come a long way, yet we have far to go. Today on Martin Luther King Day, lets take a moment to show our gratitude to King by adopting his dream as our own. Comrise being a minority owned company is at an advantage as we already pride diversity as our number one strength. Take a look at the excerpt below from King's "I Have a Dream" Speech and share your thoughts on how we can better implement King's vision here at Comrise or even our personal lives.

"I say to you today, my friends, that in spite of the difficulties and frustrations of the moment, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal."

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at a table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a desert state, sweltering with the heat of injustice and oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day the state of Alabama, whose governor's lips are presently dripping with the words of interposition and nullification, will be transformed into a situation where little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls and walk together as sisters and brothers.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.

This is our hope. This is the faith with which I return to the South. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.

This will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with a new meaning, "My country, 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrim's pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring." ~Martin Luther King Jr.

Holidays serve as a reminder for us a collective Comrise group of what we can do best to celebrate this holiday. For us Comrisers, we look forward to truly implementing King's thoughts and beliefs in our work and personal lives.

Comrise's 2010 Consultant of the Year

Congratulations to our all of our consultants who were nominated for this year's award!

We are pleased to announce our winners of the 2010 Comrise Consultant of the Year contest:

1. 1st Place — Gail Gladson, CAPA Administrator/Specialist (Medical Technology)


2. 2nd Place — Vikram Arora, Business Analyst (Medical Technology)


3. 3rd Place — Jim Groff, Systems Administrator (Telecommunications/Electronics)

About Our Winner:

Gail Gladson was nominated by our client for a second consecutive year. Gail was born and raised in Cranford, N.J. She attended Kean University earning a baccalaureate in music. Afterward she attended Mason Gross School of the arts, earning a Master’s in Music. Additionally, Gail achieved certification from Pace University in UNIX and C++.

Gail currently works for our client as a Quality System Administrator.

According to a manager at our client-site,

“Gail has been a tremendous asset to our organization in 2010. Her professionalism, dependability, and positive 'can do' attitude has been well received, and an influence to others. When senior management requires immediate resolution to outstanding quality issues Gail gets the job done immediately. Overall I’ve been very impressed with her abilities, enthusiasm, and being a team player. By having Gail as a part of my team, I’m guaranteed another successful, and productive year in 2011.”

Gail serves as a reflection of our hard work and dedication to our clients. We firmly believe in delivering the best and look forward to the start of the Consultant of the year contest for 2011.

Holiday Luncheon Pictures!

Last week the annual Comrise Holiday Luncheon was held at Salt Creek Grille in Rumson, New Jersey. Our New Jersey team took a well-deserved break from work to celebrate the work we've done and reflect on the outgoing year. It may have been cold outside, but it was warm and friendly inside!

A special thanks goes to Susan Knudson and Fran Banks for arranging an entertaining and relaxing (and delicious!) holiday luncheon for the Comrise team.

Congratulations also go out to this year's winners of our annual in-house Comrise Awards, who were announced during the luncheon. In no particular order:

       "Funniest Employee of the Year" - Deb Chen

       "Rookie of the Year" - Todd Snider

       "Unsung Hero of the Year" - Susan Knudson

       "Teammate of the Year" - Aditi Jaitly

       "MVP - Most Valuable Professional" - Aditi Jaitly

As we prepare for the end of the year and gear up for 2011, we'd like to wish everyone in the Comrise Community Happy Holidays and a safe and successful New Year! We hope you and your families have an enjoyable holiday season!

For more pictures of the luncheon, check out our Facebook page to see the complete album.

Potluck / International Thanksgiving - November 18, 2010

Last Thursday, Comrise held its annual Potluck/International Thanksgiving day at the office in recognition of the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday, and also to celebrate the diversity within the Comrise team.

Each employee brought in a choice dish or dessert that was either prepared by themselves, bought from a bakery, or even prepared by a friend/family member (well, I guess that is the category I fall under).

The lunch included everything from traditional Chinese food to Hungarian food (Goulash).

For dessert, there was Tiramisu, fresh-baked cookies, and the fan-favorite Brooklyn cannolis.

Other items on the menu:

Indian - Chicken Biryani, Kachori, Samosas, Dhum Aloo, Lamb Seekh
Polish - Kielbasa
Italian - Vegetable Lasagna, Goat Cheese & Pesto Pasta,
Miscellaneous: Sweet Potato Crisp, Fresh Mozzarella, Broccoli & Cheese Casserole

A very special thanks to each Comrise employee for their efforts in making this year's Potluck/ International Thanksgiving Day a memorable and delicious event.

Looking forward to another great event in 2011!

Want to see pictures posted from the event? Visit our Facebook Page for the complete album

Happy Halloween from the Comrise Team !

On behalf of Comrise, we’d like to wish the Comrise community a happy (and a safe) Halloween!

Comrise kicked of the holiday earlier today with some inner office trick-or-treating (actually mostly treating )

It was an interesting day at work as many of our employees came to work dressed up in costumes.

One colleague came dressed as a human spider web, another as a Halloween hallmark card, and another employee came with a monkey on his back..literally. He was the man with the yellow hat from Curious George! See some of the pictures below!

For those of you not familiar with Curious George, here’s the link (http://pbskids.org/curiousgeorge/)

Anyways, for those of you in need of a last minute costume idea, we decided to include some costume ideas, however, be wary, these are not your traditional costume ideas; these are what we like to consider the top 10 “Halloween IT Costumes” (broken down by theme) Enjoy!

Oh and if you have any other creative costume ideas..IT-related, feel free to leave a comment! Happy Halloween !!!!!'

Official Mascots:

• the Linux penguin
• the Drupal drop

Unofficial Mascots:

• the Apple colorwheel (spinning colorwheel of death)
• the Microsoft paper clip
• the BSOD (blue screen of death)

More Personalized:

• Your Favorite Relational Database
• Your Favorite Programming Language

More Abstract: (bonus points for difficulty!)

• Object-oriented languages
• Inheritance
• Open-source

Comrise goes to NMSDC Conference

The National Minority Supplier Diversity Council (NMSDC) held their annual conference just this past week in Miami. My experience at the conference increased my awareness of diversity in the work place. It was so great to see thousands of faces that represented all different and unique backgrounds with the purpose of fostering mutually beneficial business relationships.

Revisiting some highlights of the conference, I especially recall Scott Page, a well known and admired professor from University of Michigan, who provided insight on diversity in the work force. Professor Page emphasized the importance of diversity over ability. Diversity in the work place gives birth to different views and ideas as well as challenges people to think on a higher level. Not only is diversity the right and moral way to live and work, but it brings real measurable profit to the workplace. At Comrise, we fully embrace this concept and make full use of the diverse nature of our staff. It is this diversity of people and ideas that makes Comrise so successful!

It is for these same reason, many companies are increasingly turning to diverse vendors for resources, such as talent acquisition or marketing and promotions. After having attended the NMSDC Conference, I better understand the importance of these Supplier Diversity Managers and see how they serve as advocates for improving the quality of their respective workplaces.

All in all, the conference was a complete success for Comrise and we look forward to being more involved in the NMSDC - we have lots of work ahead of us!

Consultant Reunion Dinner - A Review

Despite the freak storm (and tornado!) on Thursday, the dinner was a great success! We were afraid the downpour would keep some of our guests from attending, but the vast majority of them toughed it out and joined us, some coming from as far as Virginia and Connecticut to celebrate. These current and former consultants were rewarded for their bravery with warm conversation, delicious authentic Shanghai cuisine, and even some karaoke! We, in turn, were honored by their presence and were happy to recognize them for the hard work they've done for us over the years.


By the end of the night, the Comrise In-House Team was all smiles:




Did you attend? If so, what did you think of the night? Did you have fun? What would you like to see in the future?

Couldn't make it? Tell us what sorts of events you'd like to be a part of for next time!

Any and all comments are welcome. Just click the 'Comments' link below...

Comrise Technology Consultant Reunion Dinner

Here at Comrise we believe in working hard, but this week we plan on playing just as hard! Comrise has planned a much-anticipated event this Thursday, September 16th. We wanted to acknowledge our consultants for their hard work and have organized a dinner and reunion for former consultants from two clients to show our appreciation. We’re looking forward to reconnecting with everyone, some of whom have worked with us way back in the early 90’s and some just more recently. We believe in investing in our consultants, for it is because all of them that we have been successful for 26 years, and going strong!

Things our guests can expect this Thursday:

- The best Chinese cuisine in the state of New Jersey
- An opportunity to network and reconnect with former colleagues
- Karaoke - a Comrise favorite!
- Most importantly, a night devoted to honoring your hard work

We look forward to seeing these consultants and having a memorable night! Stay tuned next week for an update on our event, and keep an eye out for similar ones in the future! We plan on including more of our former and current consultants in other industries and with other clients; our goal is to successfully treat every one of our consultants to their much deserved rewards.

See you there!

The Art of Intrapreneurship

So you're probably wondering what an intrapreneur is? An Intrapraneur is someone who does entrepreneurial things within an existing corporate context. A Change Agent. A visionary who can also drive the change he/she sees. Someone who brings new possibilities into reality - not for their own purposes, but to build, grow or improve an existing company. In the staffing industry, constant innovation and intrapreneurship is definitely a mechanism that be put to greater use to help companies avoid stagnation and foster consistent future growth and success. Comrise does.

Most firms are able to create competitive advantages by finding new and better ways to compete in any given industry and staffing firms are no different. Agreed, that companies such as Comrise are not really creating a “product” that they can innovate, however, the fundamental values at the core of intrapreneurship can be undoubtedly applied to staffing firms and their employees to help improve performance and business processes– starting with inventive changes from the inside.

These are the top 4 characteristics that I believe make the foundation of the intrapreneur:

Creativity. This is one of the most important attributes of intrapreneurs. They don’t see what is but what could be. This translates to always having the “creativity” switch powered on. Such a mindset allows the intrapreneur to consistently superimpose a view of the future on the present.

Agility. Intrapreneurs must be willing and able to roll with the punches and be quick enough to find new directions and opportunities to make progress. It definitely helps to take the initiative and do some independent research in order to avoid being slowed down by learning curves, etc.

Persistence. It is not always important to hit a “home-run”, so to speak, in every discussion or presentation. I have realized that it is much more important to be bigger than any one day or any specific (crushing) decision. Listen to and accept feedback/criticism, and use it to improve yourself and ultimately, the company.

Commitment. Something I recall from one of Guy Kawasaki’s speeches, is that an intrapreneur must be infected with “a love for what the team is doing”. It is important to hire and retain people in a business that actually “get it” and “love it”.

Employees should continuously build their personal entrepreneurial toolkit by learning on and off the job. By taking on multiple, multi-functional, challenging jobs within the company and by learning the art of taking calculated risks (frequently), not only will the company benefit, but the employee may also benefit a great deal. After learning about the complacent attitude and conservative approach taken by many other staffing firms within the industry, I am glad to see Comrise is taking measures to embrace and foster this intrapreneurial thinking and subsequently use it to drive its ambitious growth strategy.

Personally speaking, the intrapreneurial drive is one of the keys to keeping me focused on innovation in the workplace. If I’m not doing something innovative, the intrapreneurial urge kicks in and starts driving me in that direction. For young and dynamic companies such as Comrise, mastering the art of intrapreneurship is very important, and we do realize that. If implemented the right way, it will undoubtedly help many staffing firms such as ours to establish sustained profitability and powerful market presence within an industry that has always been characterized as having a very wide-open playing field.

We Too Can Think like Computer Scientists

You glance at your watch. The end of the work week is fast approaching. The recruiters in the office are rushing to find that last resume that they need to submit to the hiring manager. Meanwhile, the account executives continue trying to get in touch with a few more hiring managers. As you fill out your timesheet, you receive a notification that someone has just sent you an email. Ahh, yes… the “Thinking like a Computer Scientist” email that a member of our office sends out every Friday. The email contains a difficult brain teaser to keep you thinking like a computer scientist over the weekend.

As you drive home from work, it just refuses to leave your thoughts. The puzzle must be more difficult than last week’s riddle! You attempt to do a few calculations in you head: what is 2¹⁰? Or what happens if…? But every path you take seems to lead to a dead end. When you finally figure it out, you think back to all of the seemingly silly methods you had previously tried. The answers always seem so simple, yet it always takes you forever to find that solution.

Unfortunately, when you arrive back at work with the answer, you notice someone has already solved the problem. It is their name that is on our “Kudos” board, not yours. Disappointed, you open your project from the previous week and pull up the Internet. Searching endlessly for another resume, you decide to switch up your Boolean searches. The resume you just found is a perfect fit. Why didn’t you adjust your search earlier? It’s seems so obvious; so simple, just like the solution to the brain teaser.