Name/title: Kim Rondon/Web support specialist
Home office: Orange County, Calif.
Family and pets: Two sons and an English Bulldog (Turbo) and an orange tabby cat (Pavel)
Start date at Thrive: June 2018
How did you get started with web support?
I was a small business owner and I couldn’t get our web developer to do anything remotely on time. He constantly put our gym in the back of the queue for bigger projects. We lost a lot of opportunity and revenue because of that, so I learned how to build a site on my own. Then I built one for a charity and another one for a wellness center. Later, I opened up a website division for a SaaS company and did it all – marketing, sales, website builds and support. This is a long way from my background as an accountant!
What do you love about working for Thrive so far?
The team I am on in support is a tight-knit and fun group. The synergy is something really special. Plus, the other departments – and our clients – have been the greatest people. This is truly a very special place.
When you’re not at work, how do you spend your time?
My youngest son is in travel hockey, so it’s 3-6 days every week in an ice rink. For myself, I have CrossFit and barre classes. Plus, I love to travel and see other countries.
If you could turn anything into an Olympic sport, what would you have a good chance of winning a gold medal for?
A chili cook-off or a pizza-eating contest. Or combine them together!
What would be your karaoke go-to song and what setting would we likely find you singing it in?
I don’t sing. Well, my son says I sing in one note. But if I had to sing a karaoke song it would be Cheeseburger in Paradise by Jimmy Buffett. And I would love to be singing that at Cheeseburger in Paradise in Lahaina (Maui, Hawaii)!
Where did you grow up and what is special about that place?
I grew up in Irvine, California. Back then, it was a lot of farmland: strawberry fields, eucalyptus trees and orange trees. The blossoms in the spring were intoxicating. If you have ever seen the 1989 movie Gleaming the Cube, that was shot here and that’s what my hometown looked like back then.
If you were in a room with three billionaires, what would you ask them and why?
I would ask them for one-third of a billion each so I could be one of the three billionaires for the next person who is asked this question. But seriously, I would ask them what their biggest hurdle was to get where they are and what is the one non-financial lesson they have learned in the last year.
If you could invite three people to dinner (dead or alive), who would be at the table and why?
My dad, Ronald Reagan and Gary Vaynerchuk.
