A Day to Give Thanks and Reflect

Thanksgiving is a wonderful time to stop, catch your breath, and take stock of where you are, where you've come from, and where you're going.

We have so much to be thankful for, both personally and professionally, here at Digital Echidna that we wanted to share it with you. Because, at the heart of it all, our family, friends, fellow Londoners, clients, and colleagues have all contributed to us being who we are today.

I did this last year and thought it would be appropriate to provide an update.

Still Growing

Our team has experienced solid, but steady, growth. We're now over 40 and are continuing to change the way we do business -- improving our processes, refining our skills, and continuing our acquisition of knowledge and the best talent in the Forest City (and beyond!).

Puggle Update

Those twins I mentioned? They're healthy and happy! And just as mom has recently returned to work, we wished another developer well as she leaves on her maternity leave. For the rest of us, our kids are another year older. With new employees coming on board, we've updated our "Junior Echidna" crew -- and we're committed to putting family first.

From a business perspective, we're thrilled with the announcement that Drupal 8 is almost ready to be 'born.' We're committed to the Drupal CMS and the community, investing time, effort, and resources into improving it and helping it grow. And we're excited to work with our Acquia partners to grow Drupal across this great country of ours.

The Heart and Soul of Downtown

Being on King and Talbot, we feel we're right at the foundation of Downtown London's growth! We're seeing some amazing things and our staff have been right at the heart of it. We don't talk about it often, but many of our staff are heavily involved in various organizations, boards, and volunteering at events -- all because we believe in this city and are excited about its future.

We've completed our expansion into the area formerly known as Cello -- and we're already starting to strain at the seams. We've long supported the idea of investing in the core, leading the way with repurposing our heritage properties (in our case, the 1881-built Burridge Block) for modern uses. And we're proud to support community partners like Hacker Studios as they support the next generation of entrepreneurs and start ups. We remember our roots and we're thrilled to be in a position to help others chase their dreams.

Recognizing Recognition

We remain humbled and thankful for the recognition we've received from the community. This year we won the 2015 London Chamber of Commerce Corporate Social Responsibility Award and the 2015 TechAlliance Community Engagement Award. I'm proud of our staff, who gives of their time and talent not to win awards, but because they believe in the causes. But it is always nice to have that work recognized.

We're lucky to have supportive friends and family members who allows us to do what we do. So this weekend, I encourage you to take a moment and give thanks for the people around you. I hope you get to spend some time with your loved ones and on behalf of all of us at Digital Echidna, may I wish you a healthy and happy Thanksgiving.