Promoted to Member

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It’s unusual for your boss to actively help you find a new job. Luckily for me, when I started my job hunt Sean was one of my biggest supporters, and not because he wanted to get rid of me. The Community Organizer role is a unique position that I had the pleasure of taking on for the last 2 years. It was created to support a new business owner or student as they build themselves, get their footing, and eventually get promoted to Member.

I joined Radius back in 2021 when I was enrolled at Penn State Behrend and building my video production company, Oddity Productions, with my partners. We needed a place to work and a good lookin’ business address. We definitely found much more than we were looking for. For a while, I was at Radius every day of the week. Monday through Friday for business and school, then over the weekends for studying and submitting coursework. It became the ultimate spot where I could do my remote school work, conduct business, and learn a ton from the members here.

Some of the random skills I picked up by being in Radius are: community building, podcasting, real estate photography, website building, story telling, event planning, and how to thoroughly mess with Jess Royer. 

My time here has ultimately taught me some really important lessons that I’ll carry with me for the rest of my life. One of them is that, “bigger isn’t better, better is better.” As simple as that is, it’s so important to remember. We often try to improve things by growing them, or increasing X, Y, Z, or trying to create a solution for an unknown problem. Working here has also taught me a lot about the nuances of people, how to gather people and introduce them to one another, how to help connections build organically, and how to learn what motivates people.

As excited as I am for this change in my life, it’s felt more bitter than sweet in the last week, since I have so many fond memories here. Just to list a few:

  • Blasting Dave Matthews Band in HQ at 12am on a weekday with Joseph Kumer

  • The jam-packed first Open Mic Night we never pulled off again

  • Oddity’s film premieres & after parties that were attended by many members

  • Amanda Duncan’s birthday bar crawl in summer 2021

  • Ranting about conspiracy theories with Josh Layhue

  • Getting kicked out of Matt Flowers office on a daily basis

  • Bartending the murder mystery event

  • Taking Matt White’s Tesla for a joy ride at my Radius welcome party

  • Tea ceremonies in the cafe 

  • Trying all the delicacies Greg Windle brought in weekly

  • And many, many more

I never expected Radius to have the impact that it did. The opportunities I’ve had here, as a member, then as a community organizer have been so fulfilling. The friendships I’ve made here are so special to me, and will certainly last a lifetime. I’m excited for this next chapter in my life, where I’ll be moving to Pittsburgh to work in ADP’s major accounts division. I’m excited to get large company experience, hone my sales skills, and continue building the foundation of my career. I’ll still be producing Radius Coffee Talk (Apple / Spotify) remotely, and will remain active on Slack.

Thank you to everyone who has been a part of my experience here. I’m always going to be a Slack message away and will be up in Radius any time I’m in Erie.

– Liam 2024