[Best Of] Would You Attend a Company Reunion?

It's a sign that you've had a special experience, and worth keeping the magic going

Hey there, friendly reader. I’m taking a few days off this week, so I’m re-sharing one of my most popular posts from two years ago. This one still brings a tear to my eye—and reminds me that it’s time to plan our next company reunion!

A few years ago, I was riding an elevator in New York City and overheard a conversation between two people heading to their company’s annual holiday party. One said, “At least they are having this party on a weekday…I mean, who wants to go to a party with co-workers on the weekend?” That seemed sad, and certainly not the mentality of Ahalogy, our company at the time.

Two weeks ago, about 60 of us got together on a Friday night for an Ahalogy reunion. It has been a little over a year since the sale of our company was complete, and COVID struck, and we were eager to get back together. We got organized through our “Ahalofriends” Slack group, which both current and former employees have joined to stay connected since the sale of our company was complete.

People volunteered to organize a location, arrange food & drinks, and send invites. Multiple people flew into town on their dime just to join in. There were many hugs and updates to share—new jobs, houses, weddings, babies, and cities. We also spent plenty of time re-telling old startup war stories of our ups and downs together. People spoke of reuniting again in a few months and maybe even organizing a group trip to Cancun.

I was exhausted—in a good way—at the end of the evening and sat on a curb waiting for my Uber ride and reflecting on just how rare it is for a large group of employees to share a special, ongoing relationship in this way. There are a few companies that have active “Alumni” groups, but they tend to be large firms like GE or Procter & Gamble, and the purpose is mainly networking. The magic comes from building a culture of people who genuinely love working together toward a common goal. For us, it was work-life integration in the most special way possible.

The Ahalogy brand has been retired as part of a marketing strategy by our acquirer to have a more consistent voice. And the other day, I passed our old office downtown, where the branding was recently peeled away. I don’t mind too much. We have achievements and memories together that will last far longer than any corporate marketing campaign.

This leads me to the question for you, dear reader: Have you ever worked at a company that would merit a joyful reunion? If so, make sure you’re pulling people together regularly to keep the spirit and specialness alive. If not, maybe it’s time to move to a new company where the culture is truly strong. We spend most of our lives working, and life is more amazing when you love the people you work with.

Here’s a few of my favorite photos from the get-together:

As always, thank you for reading and sharing my posts. The more subscribers I get, the more motivation I have to keep writing!

Bob Gilbreath is a 2x-exit entrepreneur and co-founder of Hearty, a curated matchmaking service that combines top software developers with early-stage, venture-backed startups.