Newmind Summer Party 2013

Thank you Laura for taking the time to craft these amazing
Minion cupcakes! 

Throughout the year Newmind Group brings together employees, family and friends for retreats to build friendship and community. Our time together is used to meet new friends, share stories, and recognize hard work.

This summer we gathered in Covert Park, MI and spent a weekend enjoying the Lake Michigan Beach!

For some of us, the retreat started with camping that included cooking over open fire, stories around a campfire, and a short midnight torrential downpour.

James Duke brewed homemade soda and grabbed
inspiration from historical soda labels to create custrom
Newmind Orange Soda!

The rain didn't drown our spirits and the next morning we awoke to enjoy friends and family!

Newminders from our Minnesota and South Carolina offices even made the trip to enjoy the camaraderie, tasty grilling, awesome desserts - like Minion cupcakes (Thanks Laura!) - Newmind Orange soda, and awards.

One of the most important aspects of the Newmind Group summer retreat is the unveiling of the results of the Newmind Group Peer Review. Every year Newminders rate each other in 5 areas measuring productivity, innovation, reflection, work/life balance, and teamwork. This is also an opportunity for Newminders to award each other with custom awards.

Congratulations to this year's "Co-Newminders of the Year"
Ryan Hawkins & James Duke.

The Newminder with the highest score in each category is recognized and the Newminder with the highest overall score is crowned "Newminder of the Year" - affording them bragging rights for a year and few other confidential perks!

Companies and organizations hold yearly gatherings for different reasons, but usually they're meant to help with bonding, team building, or maybe even management showing they care about their employees. At Newmind Group, we like planning regular gatherings and retreats because they give us time to Rest & Reflect. We get to joke about the past year and keep perspective.

Thank you for a great year and here's to more fun working together!

Newmind named to Michigan 50

It has been a busy couple of months at Newmind.

The team is growing, business is expanding and our friends in the press are saying kind things about us.

On top of all that, we are proud to announce that Newmind has been named to the Michigan 50!

The “Michigan 50 Companies to Watch”, or "Michigan 50" for short, is a list of remarkable second-stage companies from across the state. Winners are selected by Michigan-based judges from the banking, economic development, entrepreneurship development, industrial and venture capital communities.

Needless to say, we are honored to be named among such a great group of thriving companies.  It was also a lot of fun to learn that our neighbors Gazelle Sports and Genemarkers, here in Kalamazoo, were also named to the list.

"Our team is passionate about helping our clients in Michigan and across the country use technology to experience more productivity and enjoyment at work."  said Daniel Jefferies, founder of Newmind.  "That obviously means we work extremely hard.  As a team leader it is so fulfilling to see the work of Newminders, and the success of our clients, recognized on the Michigan 50 list."

"Michigan is a great place to start and grow a business and one reason for that is the work of organizations that feed the entrepreneurial community like those who underwrite the Michigan 50."  continued Jefferies.   "Thanks to the Edward Lowe Foundation, MEDC, Consumers Energy, and all the other underwriters."

So what is next for Newmind?

Well, as we have in the past we want to continue to assist and support the IT community, especially here in our hometown of Kalamazoo.   We are inviting IT leaders and staff to our Build IT Together event on May 21st at the Radisson Plaza Hotel.    The event is designed to get IT leaders and staff from the community together to share and compare solutions and best practices.  We are really excited to see what we can learn from each other at this event.