We Are Bushel: Katie #wearebushel

Ever wonder what durian fruit tastes like? Well, if you get past the smell, my face here might give you an idea of the sensation.

As the first gal to join the Bushel team, I consider myself the den mother of the group. And what a good group they are. Laughing is an essential requirement to fit in here, and I’m happy to say it’s a trait I didn’t have to learn.

I started working with JAMF Software three years ago as the company’s marketing automation go-to, and joined the folks on the Bushel team this past December as a marketing analyst. My days are currently filled up building, planning, and analyzing our marketing programs.

Fun facts:

• I was once drunk dialed by Dave Thomas (the Wendy’s guy). Well, Dave Thomas, and my pops, who worked for Wendy’s throughout most of his career. They were at a bar in Florida, and even though it was my dad’s idea to call me (of course Dave had no idea who I was), I love that I got to chat with him in his inebriated state.
• I was an All-American gymnast, and although I tore my ACL prior to college, I did get to perform (not compete) in the 1992 Olympic Trials in Baltimore, MD. My dad also bought the Romanian gymnastic team their shoes for the Games that year (back when gymnastic shoes in competition were in vogue), which I always thought was pretty badass. My hardest trick? Double full.
• My grandmother was one of the original “Mad-Women”. She worked her way up in an environment that was less than welcoming towards woman in positions of power. Her most memorable work were the AT&T commercials “Reach Out and Touch Someone”, of which, the campaigns were initially based on the many scenarios her large immediate family encountered. And for those of you who watched TV in the early 90s, you might remember some of her other work, the Diet Coke commercials with Paula Abdul and Elton John. If you haven’t seen these gems, you should. They embody the awkward transition of the 80s into the 90s in all of their outlandish glory. She was a fantastic role model as I began down my own career path.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LSyeT8m0jcM

Sad fact:

I asked my father to buy me $200 worth of Apple stock back in ’97 when the company was teetering on bankruptcy. Shares were around $12, and since I was a teenager, I had no money, but did have time on my hands – some of which I spent learning about a fabled new TBWA/Chiat/Day ad campaign Apple was about to release in tandem with the launch of the iMac. Apple hadn’t spent any substantial amount of money on advertising in years, and I recall sitting by in horror as products such as the Newton came and went. With the success the agency had just seen with the (then) new Volkswagen Beetle, I thought Apple was sure to realize some marketplace lift. Pops said, “Sure thing! I’ll buy you those shares. It’ll be a great learning experience.” A few weeks later, I recall going out to dinner with our family along with the Senior VP of Wendy’s and sharing the same investment recommendation with him. His reaction, “Katie, no offense, but I don’t take stock tips from teenagers.” Years later, when I wanted to revel in his poor decision of not heeding my advice, I asked my father how much we had made so I could rub it in. “Ummmm, I never actually bought those stocks…”

WHAMMIE.

First computer:

Commodore 64, of which I used primary to play video games. My mother somehow rationalized that games on this console were ok since “they are COMPUTER games”, but that an Atari (or any other strictly gaming console) would melt my brain. I still think jamming a 4-inch cartridge into a “computer” to play an 8-bit game where a dolphin dives for a treasure box wasn’t exactly providing me with the social or mental skills I would use later in life either.

Favorite Instagram account:

@corgnelius (Corgnelius & Stumphrey). Why? Because CORGIS! And these two, paired with their mom’s creative hashtagging skills, are some of the cutest. Our Corgi, #garycorgneliusbosch, shares the same name, although Gary’s middle name is a family name.

https://instagram.com/corgnelius

Favorite human and favorite corgi:

Andy Bosch (and then it would be David Bowie) and Gary Corgnelius Bosch (pictured below).

These are a few of my favorite things

Favorite advice:

Dave Thomas’ golden rule: “Just be nice.” Be nice indeed. Get in early, smile, work hard, make someone else smile, love your family, nirvana.