Where Have the Last 15 Years Gone?

It is a truly rare and wonderful thing to get up every day and go to a place where you can learn, grow personally and professionally, do it with amazing people, and have someone actually pay you every two weeks to do it. I am blessed to have had that exact experience for the past 15 years. That's right - as of November 7, 2009, I have spent the last 15 years of my working life with Progressive.

If you had asked me 15 years ago on my first day where I would be now, I would never have foreseen what my life with Progressive turned out to be. When I interviewed, I was four years out of college, unemployed, and completely burned out from my first career working in non-profit fundraising. I had actually quit my prior job a week before I interviewed with Progressive, after a trip to JMU for homecoming and a long car ride back to Virginia Beach evaluating my life. I made the decision to quit on the car ride home, went straight into the office on a Sunday night, typed a resignation letter, and slid my key in through the mailbox slot on my way out. I never looked back. Talk about burning a bridge....

When I called my mother the next day to share what I'd done, her questions were those of a normal concerned parent trying not to panic. How are you going to pay your rent? How much food do you have in the fridge? How much money do I need to send you? What is your plan for finding another job? Frankly, I didn't know the answers to any of those questions. All I knew is that I was miserable and needed to get out. Since it was getting close to the holidays, I figured I could get a part time retail job to hold me over until I got everything figured out. In the meantime, I was sitting on my couch watching soap operas, eating ice cream, and spending all day feeling like a total failure.

A call the following Thursday morning at 7 AM from my college friend Jack Condon jolted me out of bed, and in the process changed my life. I had been passing my resume around at homecoming, letting everyone know how miserable I was. Jack started with the company a few months earlier and had nothing but amazing things to say about Progressive, so he agreed to pass my resume to his boss. His boss was good friends with the manager of the Virginia Beach claims office. She had my resume and wanted to talk to me. Jack instructed me to get my rear out of bed because she would be calling me. The phone was ringing when I got out of the shower. I squeezed myself into the best interview suit I had, met Amy Corbett, and the rest is history. Fifteen years later, I'm a trainer and Jack is a state manager in the Northeast.

Fifteen years is a lot of time to give a company, and it hasn't always been easy, but I still feel like I've gotten so much more than I've given. Progressive moved me from Virginia Beach to Seattle for a boyfriend, then from Seattle to Los Angeles for a career. I've had the resources to travel places I'd always dreamed - France, England, Turkey, Greece, Ireland, Croatia, Montenegro, Italy, and Mexico. And I made 3 of the most important friendships of my life here, with Tanya Offerdahl, Leah Jacobs and Nadine Donat.

I also learned some of the most important lessons of my life working here.

• Amy Corbett taught me to trust my instincts, use my brain, and not be afraid to make a tough decision.
• Ed Ruse taught me the value of patience and talking slowly, not more loudly, to be heard.
• Zach Correa taught me that trust is earned, and once it's earned it's also rewarded.
• Peter Hawkins taught me that being right isn't always all it's cracked up to be, especially if it ends up damaging a relationship you care deeply about.
• Chris Newman helped me learn all my actions, even the small ones, have huge consequences, which makes it a great idea to think before I speak.
• And Deb Bonge gave me room to spread my creative wings and fly.

I simply couldn't ask for better mentors, in business and in life.

In recognition of my anniversary, Progressive gave me even more! I got a small cash bonus and an extra week of vacation. Plus a note from my VERY creative boss, who somehow managed to find a photo of almost the EXACT suit I wore on my interview fifteen years ago. She knows me so well, I think we're two halves of the same person sometimes. So I'll close this post with her note, and a huge thanks to all the people who have made the last 15 years of my life possible.

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Please join me in me in celebrating a major milestone in Meg Jarrell's Progressive career.

As of tomorrow, Nov 7, Meg has been with Progressive for 15 years. This momentous length of service entitles her to an additional 5 days of etb. She now has 30 days per year to follow John Mayer , cheer on her hockey team, or share the world with family and friends. She also earns a trip down memory lane as I recall her once saying she wore a "PURPLE POWER SUIT" to her Progressive job interview. As I understand it, there were shoulder pads and bedazzling involved in the ensemble. I would expect nothing less from Meg.



So, thanks Meg, for "POWERING ON" with us over the years and continuing to "BEDAZZLE US" with your high level of contributions. Progressive "SUITS" you (...sorry, I couldn't resist). To 15 more...and the return of shoulder pads!!. Happy anniversary!