Acclaimed entrepreneur Warren Buffett said, “It’s better to hang out with people better than you. Pick out associates whose behavior is better than yours and you’ll drift in that direction.” At Terakeet, we’ve always believed in the power of the individual to make an impact – and their ability to raise others to their standard of leadership.
It’s not often that you come across someone in life who embodies the heart and soul of a true leader. Terakeet has been fortunate enough to develop a framework to attract great leadership to our organization, and develop our people into the most dedicated, confident, compassionate people anywhere in this industry.
This is due in no small part to a man named Marc Murray, one of Terakeet’s first employees and a driving force behind the culture we are so proud of today. In 2011, Marc tragically passed away after fighting a valiant six-year battle with leukemia.
There are many at the company who never got the chance to meet Marc personally, however, his legacy is felt at all levels of the organization and is interwoven into the rich fabric of the Terakeet story. We are proud to give out a “Marc Murray Award” to one Terakeet employee each year, in remembrance of the great man, mentor, and friend that Marc was – and to recognize that his influence lives on in each and every Terakeet employee.
We’ve held the Marc Murray Award ceremony since 2015, and since that time have experienced unprecedented growth. Over the last 5 years, we’ve added a bunch of new faces in the crowd, but our judging criteria remains the same. Recipients are nominated by their peers based on a series of criteria, a roadmap left for us by the incredible Marc Murray. Ultimately, each Marc Murray Award recipient – a person who can come from anywhere in the company – possesses the following characteristics:
- Demonstrates our five core values
- Exhibits the “Ultimate Company Person” Spirit
- Exhibits a “Whatever-It-Takes” Attitude
- Gracefully Manages Adversity
- Exhibits traits of being Genuine & Optimistic
Past recipients include VP of Operations Chris Loman and Director of Terakeet Labs Keith McComb (2015), VP of Account Services Shannon Reedy (2016), VP of Branded Search Joseph Torrillo (2017), and Anthony DeMario (2018). This year, we were beyond ecstatic to award the honor to our very own James Razza, Director of Information Technology.
We can’t forget all the incredible human beings who have been nominated (over fifteen unique individuals in five years). It is the collective impact of all involved, whether they received the award or not, that makes Terakeet such a great place to work and the best search engine technology company in the game.
Since 2015, Terakeet has also sponsored the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Light the Night Walk in order to honor “Our Main Man Marc Murray,” as well as countless others who have lost the fight against blood cancer. Following the Marc Murray Award Ceremony, our ‘Keeters join hundreds of others in downtown Syracuse to participate in the walk, holding either white, red, or yellow lanterns. White lanterns represent survivors, red lanterns represent supporters, and gold represents those walking in memory of loved ones lost to cancer.
Terakeet is a company, sure, but it’s also a family. Cliche as that may sound, it rings true for all of us here. It is an incredible privilege to be able to share Marc’s legacy with a new generation of ‘Keeters and to help shape the next group of great leaders.
Learn more about how terakeet gives back.