I am saddened to announce that Zee is leaving CampBrain! After 10+ years with the team, I cannot even begin to explain the incredible contribution he made…to the software, to our camps, to our team and to our overall mission. Zee has this wonderful combination of strong technical skills and a fabulous sensitivity to what superior customer service means.

Zee joined us when we were a small team, 5-6 people. He was pretty “green” and struggled a bit in the beginning. That struggle did not last long. Over the years, he would just continue to accumulate knowledge – always one of the first in our crew to master a new technical concept or feature…and then teach it to others. He worked hard to ensure his expertise was there. We are not a huge company but he continued to take on just about every role in the company, taking on more and more responsibility as he went along.

Everyone loves Zee. If you have met him (phone or in person), you know what I mean. Within our office, he is highly regarded for his knowledge, but more than that, he is admired for his ability to work with everyone in such a sincere and kind way. With clients…well, you know. If you are reading this, I suspect you have been on the other end of the phone many times with Zee! He has built some incredible relationships with our camps based on that same knowledge, sincerity and kindness.

I have had a chance to reflect a little on why Zee was so successful at CampBrain, trying to consider the actual root of that success. I think it comes down to 2 traits or values:

1. Generosity. Zee is generous with his time (incredible patience), his knowledge (loves to share it), his spirit (not afraid to open up).
2. Empathy. Zee truly feels (and understands) the feelings of the person on the other side of the desk or on the other end of the phone. Because he feels it, he wants very deeply to help. We all have customer service experiences where we don’t feel the person on the other end is really interested in helping. They just want to get off the phone. Not Zee. If the solution required extra anything (time, effort, knowledge), he just did it.

It’s a reminder to me that values and traits trump skills every time.

One of the pillars we built the company around was personal service…where the support call was not a burden but an opportunity to understand and solve the real problems, without worrying about the time taken. Zee carries that torch loud and proud!

I said that I was saddened to announce Zee’s departure from CB. That is true. But, I am not sad. I am extremely grateful for an incredible 10 years with Zee and I am excited for my friend to enter this next stage of his career, where he will undoubtedly take those values mentioned above and continue to succeed. He is headed to work with a company that installs large ERP and CRM solutions – a nice mix of technical and direct client interaction.

From all of us at CampBrain and our camp community – thank you, Zee, for your generosity, kindness and empathy. You made a difference. Now, go make that same difference with your new community!