Name: Evan Garoutte
Hometown: Springfield, Missouri
Team: Client Coverage
Title: Account Manager
What’s your favorite thing about working at BluWave?
I love working in an organization of go-getters. Two of our core values are “Grow” and “Win,” which I think are great representations of our people and culture. We are constantly striving to improve and achieve success.
Coming in every day and seeing people work extremely hard with a high level of attention to detail and a tenacious mindset is really inspiring. It drives you to improve your own work and fills you with pride to be a part of such a great organization.
What’s your one insider tip for someone visiting Nashville for the first time?
I highly recommend attending a Nashville Soccer Club game. The stadium, Geodis Park, is beautiful and located in the heart of the Wedgewood-Houston neighborhood, which is walkable and filled with bars and restaurants. Geodis does an excellent job of creating an entertaining atmosphere, and The Backline supporter groups keep the place rocking for the entire 90 minutes.
Pro-tip: Have an early dinner at Dicey’s Tavern, then enjoy a beer at Lucky’s 3 Star or Santa’s Pub (or both) before going into the stadium.
What’s your go-to snack/drink in the kitchen?
Any form of Goldfish. It could be classic cheddar, Flavor Blasted, Colors or pretzel. Growing up, we bought the huge boxes of Gold Fish from Sam’s Club, so there may be something nostalgic about it.
What’s your favorite form of coffee in the office?
My favorite has to be the on-tap nitro cold brew. I built the original coffee kegerator at our previous office and have been tasked with refilling the nitrogen tank for a few years now.
Where’s your go-to lunch spot near the office?
It’s easily Soy Bistro, and my order is the Cheesy Skillet, which is rice in a skillet with spicy marinated chicken topped with mozzarella cheese, wasabi, scallions and sriracha. Guy Fieri featured Soy Bistro on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives but didn’t try the Cheesy Skillet, which blows my mind.
In what ways has BluWave helped you grow the most?
Seeing how my career has grown alongside BluWave has been interesting. I graduated from college in 2019, and the pandemic disrupted my first full year in the corporate world. During that uncertain time, I decided to make a career change and found BluWave.
I transitioned from working for a Fortune 500 company with over 100,000 employees worldwide to BluWave, which had fewer than 15 employees and was still in somewhat of a startup phase. Our client coverage function was still in its early stages, and as they say, we were “building the plane as we fly it.”
Since joining over three years ago, there has been a lot of trial and error, but we’ve worked hard to identify what works and continue to improve on those aspects. I’m particularly proud of our growth in establishing processes and roadmaps for a function that previously lacked them in a business that still doesn’t have many direct comparisons. It might sound strange to say that BluWave and I have “grown up together,” but in many ways, that’s exactly how it feels. I’m excited to continue growing together!
What is one thing about BluWave that you think non-BluWavers would find the most surprising?
I think non-BluWavers would be surprised to hear how often we come together as an entire company, like truly every BluWave employee in the same room.
Every Monday morning, we meet as a whole company to discuss where we stand against goals, trends, and major initiatives. As we’ve grown, it’s been tougher to fit everyone in the same room, and many more folks are standing than there were a few years ago, but the transparency and cohesiveness of these meetings have been critical to our success.
What’s your favorite team activity?
I love Passion Projects. For those unfamiliar with the term, a Passion Project is a presentation given by a newly hired employee to the entire company about a topic they are passionate about. This could include anything like their pet, favorite grocery store, or a weekend hobby. It’s so cool to see the enthusiasm when someone talks about something they truly care about, and it’s a great way to get to know a new colleague.
