When two key members of the team at the link announced that they would be moving on from their current positions, the iconic facility in Nocatee faced a critical challenge.
Elaine Raby, director of customer service, and Jeff Tawney, director of operations, had been with the link throughout its four initial years.
Raghu Misra, who, with wife Gurpreet, founded the co-working space, innovation incubator and membership-based venue, suddenly had to find someone to fill some very big shoes.
Raby and Tawney had been so dependable that Raghu Misra said there was a lot he didn’t have to keep track of. They cared for the building as though it were their own.
“A lot of times, I think they were a lot more possessive about what happens and what should not happen in the building than I was, but in a very good way,” said Misra.
He posted the job openings online, and that’s where Deanna Bono found it.
“They were looking for someone friendly and outgoing who enjoys talking to people and isn’t intimidated by professionals,” Bono recalled. “I sent it to a friend and said, ‘This kind of sounds like me, doesn’t it?’”
Two years ago, she and her family moved to Nocatee from New York, where Bono had worked as a reading teacher. A mom to three kids, she has a master’s degree in childhood education and literacy.
Here, she volunteers at her church in a role that has a lot in common with the job description.
“I run the first impressions team, which I think was a big reason that Raghu and I connected well,” Bono said. “There, I am the one who smiles and welcomes everybody and makes sure that they feel loved and seen and supported.”
In fact, Misra hired her almost immediately.
Bono is the link’s member experience manager.
When she learned that there was a second position open at the link, she posted it on Facebook and her neighbor suggested Kimbery Wilcox. Bono asked for Wilcox’s resume and passed it along to Misra.
Within days, Wilcox was the link’s second hire, as its vibe-and-experience lead. Her diverse career history includes work in health and fitness, parties and events and her own chocolates business, Hansel & Gretel’s. Like Bono, Wilcox is outgoing and friendly — two qualities that work well within the unique environment that is the link.
Also a mom to three, Wilcox and her family have lived in Nocatee six years. She is excited to share her ideas with the link team.
“I’m most looking forward to working with Deanna and, being new, we have a lot of fresh ideas, new ideas,” she said.
In fact, this is a quality that fits hand-in-glove with both Misra’s plans for the link and his philosophy that businesses should reinvent themselves on occasion.
Misra and his team had been contemplating an evolution for the link since the middle of last year. The arrival of new team members with fresh ideas feeds into that process.
“In my opinion, this is a phenomenal coincidence that we found these two amazing ladies who are joining at the right time,” Misra said. “We could not have scripted it better.”
