When it comes to tenure, there is one person at our firm who comes to mind – Lauren Hannaford. Her time at Obsidian, combined with her excellent memory, has branded her the company historian. It’s a deserved title! Lauren joined the firm in 2008 as an intern and has risen through the ranks to her current role as senior director of client services. 

You likely know and love Lauren, but you may not know a ton about what she does in her current role! We posed some questions about her tenure and her lesser-known responsibilities and snuck in a few fun questions too. Learn about Lauren Hannaford – 2020 edition!

The median job tenure for workers between the ages of 25 and 34 is fewer than four years. Why do you think that tenure is so important for professional development and growth?

If you are lucky enough to land a position with a company that provides growth opportunities, tenure is important as your employer looks for that amazing person to take on a new responsibility or fill a new position as their needs change. And someone with more experience in one role or department, with vast historical knowledge and deep insight, will stand out as a candidate. 

If someone is heading down to Olive Branch for the day, what is one local joint we must try for lunch?

Side Street Burgers! If you aren’t in the mood for a burger, there are plenty of other options. Chef Mah has developed a menu that offers a lot of unique flavors and twists on classic American favorites. Plus, they have delicious and creative seasonal and weekly specials. Take note, they do not have fries! This is a potato wedge kind of place. 

You lead our internship hiring process. What is something you wish recent graduates would leave OFF of their resume? 

A cover letter. I wouldn’t advise an intern candidate to leave off their cover letter on all applications, especially corporate jobs, but for a small firm like Obsidian, I really don’t need it. An intro in the body of your email is just fine! 

If you could design your perfect weekend, what would be on your agenda?

A little relaxation, a little Netflix, a little shopping and some good food!

Little-known fact – you are the office coffee supplier! Tell the world a little bit about the coffee and creamer preferences of the OPR team. 

Oh boy, we’ve come a long way with our coffee selections! Right now, our team prefers medium and dark roasts with at least one of those being flavored, like vanilla or hazelnut. We all have varying sweetener and creamer options, but those mostly consist of raw sugar, Truvia and Splenda, and regular half-and-half, oat milk creamer and one indulgent creamer option like caramel. 

What’s one uncommon app on your phone that you could not live without?

I wish my app selection was more interesting, but at this stage in life, the PBS Kids Games app sometimes allows me to have a life. When you have a young child at a restaurant and they have a major case of the wiggles, this app really holds their attention. If you’re familiar with PBS Kid programming, the games app offers a ton of great games they’ve built based on the shows. So you can count tulips with Curious George, learn about fish with the Wild Krats and play hide and seek with Daniel Tiger!  

As a manager of our team, you’ve overseen a ton of birthday, anniversary and fun team celebrations. Is there one that sticks out in your memory?

There are so many great ones I don’t think I can choose just one! I thoroughly enjoyed Murray’s birthday in December when we started our morning at Vice & Virtue just down the street from our office. One of my favorite things to do is wake up, take my time and relax with coffee, so that was a great way to begin the week and celebrate Murray all while enjoying some amazing coffee! I’m also going to have to choose my work anniversary in 2019 because that was just next-level amazing. To give readers a little glimpse, Courtney organized a series of gifts that were all customized to my favorite things in life. It was incredible. Of our fun team events (where we get out of the office and enjoy something together one afternoon), I think one of my top picks has to be our Paint a Piece adventure. We brought our wine and treats and had a ton of fun (and laughs) creating our own pieces.