I graduated with a degree in Marketing in December 1998. When I graduated, I struggled with trying to know exactly where I was going to apply my degree. I wasn't a typical marketer - like a MarCom type of person - I was analytical and liked digging into the details and solving concrete problems. I graduated with a math minor, and I hoped to someday apply those skills in a position out of school. At that time, analytics was still emerging as a toolset in marketing departments. Luckily, I lived in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area, which became a huge hub of analytics. When the entry-level position of Associate Marketing Analyst at Catalog Marketing Services (CMS) became available back in late 2001, I was excited: here was a marketing position with an analytic skillset. I had to take a step backwards from my first job out of college from a pay perspective, but I knew that it was the right decision for the direction I wanted to go, professionally.
CMS was the kind of workplace that had people that were not only co-workers, but felt like family. At the time that I started, the entire workforce was under 100 people. I started there on 9/4/2001 - one week to the day before the September 11th attacks.
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| Me and Jim, at one of the Graybill pool parties a few years ago. |
One of the people I worked most closely at CMS with was Jim Graybill. He was a marketing manager in my department, and was the strategy man. Jim mentored me on how to analyze results from a strategic perspective and to develop "the dog-and-pony-show" around what all of the numbers were saying. Like me, he was a music guru, and often we would quiz each other with various trivia facts about music. He loved Bruce Springsteen, and loved to harass about my hates of "The Neils": Diamond and Young. Like me, he was very blunt and sarcastic. He was a very passionate man and could often be misunderstood. I won't tell you that everyone liked working with him. However, I found him to be one of the most genuine and sweet people that I know. I hung out with him and his wife Sue outside of work as well and got to know their kids.
I left CMS in 2005 for a position with another company. I kept the e-mail he sent me when I left. (Yes, I keep everything.)
> I wanted to tell you a few things
> how talented you are
> I have worked with many talented people over the last twenty some years
> You rock
> Believe in yourself
> I do
> You have a special gift
> I hope that you can fully realize it in your new job
>
> I will miss you
> more than words can say
> I care about you Jess
> Take care of yourself
> I just want you to be happy
>
> I will miss you
> both personally and professionally
>
> no good byes
> just see you later
> Jim
When I came to Infogroup 5 months ago, I realized that we provided analytical services to Jim's company. I found myself on weekly conference calls with him. Based on the banter in those calls, it was almost like we took from right where we left off 7 years ago.
Saturday morning, I received a call from Holly, who I worked with at CMS. She told me that Jim had passed away in his sleep overnight. I felt like I had been hit by a bus. I just talked to him. He was gone? This can't be right. The news hit me very hard. I was supposed to play in my college soccer alumni game later that day and I honestly didn't feel like doing anything. Jim wouldn't have wanted that. So I picked myself up and went.
Tomorrow are the services to remember Jim. It will be an (unfortunate) reunion - bringing together people from the past (CMS) and the present (Infogroup).
No goodbyes.
We'll see you later, Jim.
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