The business community in Greater Gainesville is a welcoming community that embraces all beliefs, faiths, cultures and identities. We interviewed five individuals from different backgrounds and have asked them how they feel they fit in with the cultural melting pot of our hometown.
By Colin McCandless and Taylor Blow-Williams
Amanda Crawford
Fracture — Accounting Manager
Q: What do you love most about working for your employer?
The thing I love most about working with Fracture is the environment that fosters such a genuine sense of learning and engagement. Our business is a unique mix of manufacturing and e-commerce, and, in the short two years I’ve been with the company, I’ve been exposed to a multitude of new methods and processes, both within my department and across our various business units. Camaraderie is one of Fracture’s core values, and the collaborative and open environment here really demonstrate the company’s commitment to ensuring employees are provided with opportunities to learn alongside their colleagues as we all work towards our common goals.
Q: How does the business community in Greater Gainesville help support your professional growth and career goals?
I’ve been a member of the Greater Gainesville business community since 2015 and have been offered exceptional opportunities to further my professional growth, including participating in the Empowering Women in Technology Start-Ups course in the Innovation Hub downtown, and attending the Inspiring Women Leaders for multiple years at the UF Hilton. Through these and other engaging activities, I’ve been able to hone unique business and leadership skills that not only benefit me in my current role, but I’m confident I will be able to carry with me as I continue to advance my career.
Q: Can you speak to the diversity and inclusion within the Greater Gainesville business community as a whole and/or your company in particular?
In my experience, diversity in the workplace translates to greater levels of innovation, creativity, productivity and, ultimately, success. I consider myself fortunate to have worked for companies in the Greater Gainesville business community, Fracture included, where diversity is embraced and celebrated.
Our company is supported by a blended workforce, from production and manufacturing to marketing and finance, and though the departments have varying functions, the contributions offered by each are equally recognized and appreciated. Our leadership team’s mix of backgrounds and life experiences continue to add incredible value to Fracture’s culture and work environment, and it is this quality in particular that I feel is one of the keys to the company’s future.
Q: What hobbies/activities do you enjoy doing in your free time when you’re not busy working?
I thoroughly enjoy traveling and exploring new places with my family, both in my native Florida and around the country. Now that my daughter is a little older, I’m excited about the possibilities of international travel and exposing her to what the world has to offer. Of course, work and school keeps us all pretty busy, so, when we can’t plan a trip, nothing beats a little mini-vacation in the pages of a good book!
Hector Del Valle
Infotech — Senior Marketing Specialist
Q: What do you love most about working at Infotech?
Do I have to just pick one? If I did, I would say that I love getting to collaborate with different people, with different skills, across different departments. I’m very much a people person and I relish learning through experiences. I sincerely think that the best ideas and solutions come from collaboration and teamwork—an environment that Infotech has mastered, even more so during the pandemic.
Q: How does the business community in Greater Gainesville help support your professional growth and career goals?
I feel that in Gainesville, there are always pockets of people doing amazing things. There’s a networking group for just about every industry and field of interest, each with their own set of great leadership to learn from.
Q: Can you speak to the diversity and inclusion within the Greater Gainesville business community as a whole and/or your company in particular?
At Infotech, I’m part of the Committee for Diversity & Inclusion. As one of the founding members, I really feel strongly about helping to change the narrative surrounding diversity, equity and inclusion—locally and beyond. The CDI promotes diversity, equity, justice and inclusion for all the employees by supporting an environment founded on Infotech’s commitment to treat people right. Or as we say around here, TPR.
One of our main objectives is to assist in the creation of initiatives that tackle gaps identified via internal and external measurements of success surrounding diversity and inclusion. The group collaborates to identify how we can push the needle in this arena and shine light on issues that we feel are important for the betterment of our company, and ultimately our society. It’s truly a great feeling when the company you work for accepts you and encourages you to be your most authentic self as soon as you walk through its doors.
Q: What hobbies/activities do you enjoy doing in your free time when you’re not busy working?
One of my favorite hobbies is traveling with my husband, Derek. We are currently on a mission to hike every National Park in the United States. We currently have visited 13 and have quite a few more to go! We are also on the journey to fatherhood, so prepping our lives and home to welcome our little one has been keeping us considerably busy these days.
Priya Rudradas
Opie Software — Chief Operations Officer
Q: What do you love most about serving as Opie Software’s chief operations officer?
Opie along with its sister company Gainesville Prosthetics has a wonderful mission and vision, to be serving the orthotics and prosthetics industry with higher standards of practice. I love that I get to contribute and add value every day towards this mission and vision. I also love that I work with passionate individuals who value the journey we have been on for 25+ years.
Q: How does the business community in Greater Gainesville help support your professional growth and career goals?
Greater Gainesville has been where I grew up as a software professional and a business operator. From being an employee at Infotech, Shadow Health and Opie Software, I have learned so much about tech leadership and processes. I have always loved projects that are on the cutting edge of technology and service. Greater Gainesville provided me with so many opportunities to pursue these projects and in the process meet mentors who helped me grow as a person.
Q: Can you speak to the diversity and inclusion within the Greater Gainesville business community as a whole and/or your company in particular?
Our HR department focuses on training, mentorship and sponsorship to allow everyone access to growth opportunities in the company. Being a woman of color in business, I have often felt that the Greater Gainesville business community has been very welcoming of me. When it comes to DEI, I am a big believer that we need leaders who model diversity – in tech, business and investor circles.
Q: What hobbies/activities do you enjoy doing in your free time when you’re not busy working?
Post-pandemic my hobbies have been garden design and horticulture. I am a trained singer and do perform at events when invited. I love being outdoors in nature humming a tune.
Craig Wilburn
Team Dynamo at Keller Williams Realty — Founder and Team Leader
Q: What do you love most about working for your employer?
That boils down to our mission, which is what I love the most about this company. Our mission is that we honor God by creating a positive impact in the lives of people. We do that through real estate.
Think about how stressful buying a house can be — all the stressors you must endure to have a dream home. Team Dynamo focuses our time on helping clients in a manner that impacts their lives. We believe anyone can sell a house, but it’s a totally different ball game to do it in such a way that the person’s whole life is improved through the house buying or selling process.
We also have a big component about giving back. That vision is to point humanity to God by creating a worldwide culture of giving back, so a lot of what we do embodies that. We serve local charities and give back to the community through our time, talent and treasure.
We set a goal this year to give back $200,000 in 400 hours of service through our team. We’re a small team, but we’re on track to do that. We enjoy raising awareness for people who spend their everyday lives serving those who don’t serve their community as a calling.
Q: How does the business community in Greater Gainesville help support your professional growth and career goals?
Keller Williams just launched a millionaire business network. It’s a business training and coaching program that I lead for some local businesses to help them effectively elevate their business IQ. That’s a way for us to give back to other companies.
We all learn from each other and build relationships together. Our business efforts are supported through the impactful relationships with have with other businesses. What we try to do is find ways to add value to their businesses. In turn, we organically stay top-of-mind and become the referral source for them in that area.
Q: Can you speak to the diversity and inclusion within the Greater Gainesville business community as a whole and/or your company in particular?
Keller Williams, the largest real estate company in the United States, created a national social equity task force back when the George Floyd situation occurred. I was selected to be a leader on that task force. We put together many internal protocols around social equity and inclusion and diversity and inclusion. That has to do with educational programs, programs that help marginalized people and wealth-building opportunities.
We’ve launched a real estate school for people that are being marginalized to help them get licensed. Part of the mission for this task force is to ensure we are the company of choice when it comes to diversity, social equity and inclusion.
Our team is diverse, and Gainesville, as a community, is very open. Also, I’m the Vice-Chairman of the Chamber of Commerce. In our board meetings, we’re always having conversations on how we can help other companies become more diverse. We pride ourselves on being a resource for other businesses as well.
Q: What hobbies/activities do you enjoy doing in your free time when you’re not busy working?
I like traveling and eating. I enjoy sprint racing on the beach and fitness. I’m not really big into golf and fishing, but I do like to be outside and venture out.
I enjoy meeting people I don’t usually meet and seeing things I don’t usually see. One of the things I’ve started doing is going away on weekend trips to meet strangers and listen to their stories.
As far as eating is concerned — I just made acquaintance with Arashi Yamma. It’s a phenomenal new sushi restaurant I thoroughly enjoy. For luxury nights, Prime & Pearl is a frequented favorite of mine.
Cynthia Lewis
PPG Advisory Partners, Planet Pharma — Senior Executive Recruiter
Q: What do you love most about working for your employer?
COVID has changed a lot, and having the flexibility to work from home for a large organization is a blessing. Being home while balancing life is really important.
I enjoy interacting with professional people while being available for all my children’s activities and sports throughout the year. To be an aggressive company in this market today means you have to be able to provide that flexibility, because people have choices.
Q: How does the business community in Greater Gainesville help support your professional growth and career goals?
What I love about Gainesville is that we are a small town. It’s common to run into neighbors at neighborhood grocery stores, but Gainesville attracts lots of young professionals that can relate to balancing work and home life.
Even as someone who works from home, having a community of people who are professional and are juggling just as many things as me is important. In Gainesville, I’m not on an island. It truly is a great place to build relationships with an array of professional people.
Q: Can you speak to the diversity and inclusion within the Greater Gainesville business community as a whole and/or your company in particular?
We are a diverse, multinational company. We have a diversity and inclusion committee and are well trained in the area.
When I was involved with the Chamber of Commerce in Gainesville, diversity and inclusion were an integral part of our mission. I’m an Asian female in Gainesville, and I must say that I’ve never felt discriminated against. I don’t look at leadership and see bias. The companies I know of in Gainesville have done a good job of fostering a culture of inclusivity.
I’ve only been at one company in town but have been active in fostering business relationships with different companies here. The events I’ve attended in Gainesville were always a good mix of people.
Q: What hobbies/activities do you enjoy doing in your free time when you’re not busy working?
My family loves being active. I’m a part of a couple of tennis groups in town. That’s something that was born during COVID — the need to be active outside.
I love doing activities with my children, ages 10 and 12. They’re super active. Having a flexible schedule allows me to spend more time with them, which is something I wasn’t able to do as much at my previous company. I’m certainly in a better place now.
Traveling was a huge part of our life. I enjoyed taking my family to see the world. A lot changed for me during the pandemic. I switched careers in the middle of COVID and was able to figure out what was important to me. Working from home certainly allowed me to become more involved in the Gainesville community with my kids.