It’s no big surprise that our very own walking bundle of happiness, joy, and love began her career at Kolbeco on Valentine’s Day in 2014. If you’ve worked with her, you know her for her awesome web development and digital marketing skills, as well as her tremendous care and willingness to dig in and help clients and team mates alike. You may also know that she’s a super proud mom and police wife, and loves to go on travel adventures with her family.
But wait, there’s more! Do you know what inspires her, that she has some secret talents and desires? Then read on, friends, because there’s a whole lotta shakin going on in the mind and heart of Angela!
Q: How did you originally connect with Kolbeco?
A: I first met Kolbeco when I was working for a client. Kolbeco had been hired to help with their website and marketing, so we used to meet on a pretty regular basis. A couple of years later, when I was no longer with that company and looking for a new opportunity, Lauren reached out to me and I officially joined the team.
Q: What inspires you to work with clients, and what have you learned from clients?
A: I love the collaborative relationship we have with our clients here at Kolbeco. I find that it allows me to do my best work when I’m working hand-in-hand with the client and our team, sharing our ideas and visions and getting excited about where we’re going. This level of collaboration has helped me to realize that it’s the people behind the stories that make things so interesting. On the surface, it may not seem fun to work with certain products or industries, but we think about it a lot differently here. It’s all fun! By working with a wide variety of companies, I’ve learned to be open minded and get to know the people and their stories. It’s about connecting with people, and learning why they’re so passionate about what they do. Their passion inspires me.
Q: What project are you most proud of?
A: That’s hard, because I’m so proud of many projects I’ve worked on. But if there’s one that stands out in my mind, it’s the Cullinan Properties corporate website. We worked closely with their team to re-imagine together what their website could be, and inspired each other to think differently and explore new possibilities. The process was very collaborative, and led to a final product that was quite different than what they originally envisioned, but that better accomplished their goals and communications strategy.
Q: What’s your favorite moment at Kolbeco?
A: I enjoy our birthday celebrations, and quite frankly, anything we do together as a team. I remember the birthday burrito party we had where we stuck candles in the burrito and sang. What can I say, I love burritos and tend to be quite partial to Chipotle! My teammates were quite supportive when I ate it every day for what seemed like forever in order to win a catered burrito party. Anyway, I just love when we have the opportunity to set work aside and share personal stories. That’s where we really get to know each other and build stronger bonds. It’s all about connecting with each other. We’re all people with unique stories and points of view.
Q: What is the best advice you’ve ever received?
A: I don’t remember exactly how he used to say it, but the message has always stuck with me throughout my life. My grandpa always used to say something along the lines of: Stay out of trouble, but trouble is where you have the most fun. I relate that to our value of “be an explorer” at Kolbeco. You have to push beyond the safe zone to learn and experience new things. Sometimes you have to get into a little trouble to grow, as a person and as a professional.
Q: What’s your secret talent?
A: I’m always on a mission to find a deal. I can always find a coupon, special sale, promotion, or free samples.
Q: What’s your guilty pleasure?
A: Well, all the money I save with my secret talent goes to my guilty pleasure, and that’s Amazon Prime. I buy clothes, makeup, kitchen appliances, toys, groceries, you name it. And I also have another guilty pleasure I can fulfill on Amazon. Office supplies. I love cool pens and fun post-it notes.
Q: If you could have any super power, what would it be?
A: To read my kids’ minds. I can typically read my son better than my daughter. She can make up a story with a straight face and you’d never know it. I wish I could crack her. My son twists his eyebrows when he’s fibbing, but he typically doesn’t show his emotions so I’d love to get inside his head and know what he’s thinking.
Q: What did you want to be growing up?
A: I wanted to be either a Medical Examiner or a tornado chaser. A Medical Examiner because I wanted to know how people died, and put the pieces together to find the story behind what happened. I wasn’t afraid of the blood or body parts. I was the kid in school who loved dissecting stuff in science. Then I went through the tornado chaser phase because “Twister” was the first PG13 movie I saw in the theater and loved it. It was exciting and I could feel that adrenaline rush. I guess deep down I’m an adrenaline junkie. I think having kids tamed me!
Q: What song is currently on repeat in your head, car …
A: River by Bishop Briggs. It’s a catchy song. It makes me go faster when I’m working out.
Q: What was the last TV show you binged?
A: Sneaky Pete
Q: Describe your dream vacation.
A: Europe. I’d love to be able to experience the history and architecture.
Q: What gets you pumped up?
A: My kids
Q: Celebrity crush?
A: Jaime Dornan
Q: Who was your FIRST celebrity crush?
A: Jonathan Taylor Thomas
Q: First CD you purchased?
A: The “Scream” soundtrack. It was my favorite movie in high school. I could recite the whole thing.
Q: What’s your favorite color?
A: Silver. It feels blingy but it’s not too bright and doesn’t scream at you.
Q: If you’re going on a shopping spree, where can we find you?
A: Target. They have everything.
Q: It’s a Saturday. Where can we find you?
A: At home, with my family. For me, it’s relaxing if we’re all there.
Q: Favorite drink?
A: Vodka. Fireball is a close second, but I feel like vodka offers more mixing options.
Q: Proudest moment OUTSIDE of Kolbeco?
A: My kids. Also my volunteer work for the Major Case Squad (my husband is a member), the Police Welfare Association, and with the Police Wives.
There she is, friends, the Angela Haarmann you may not have known. She shared a lot about herself and what gets her fired up (well, we left out some of the NSFW stuff – you’ll have to ask her about that yourself!) Stay tuned for our next RAPIDFIRE target, Digital Account Coordinator Kristine Krato!
