Meet Us – The Goods

Uncommon Personalities: Meet Albert Tingson

October 29, 2013

UncommonGoods Senior Software Engineer | UncommonGoods

Albert Tingson, UncommonGoods Senior Software DeveloperMy hometown is…
Manila PhilippinesThe word that best describes me is…
Funny.

I’m passionate about…
Surfing the net and playing guitar.

What I do to relax is…
Playing computer games, playing guitar or watching movies.

If I could be the world champion of something, it would be…
Nascar driver.

If I won the lottery, I’d…
Still keep my job and invest my money to something that can help many people.

An uncommon fact about me…
I’m a church band member playing as lead guitarist. Every Sunday we play music to our worship service in Queens, NY.

Would you rather…end world hunger, or find a universal cure for all diseases?
I’d prefer to find universal cure for all disease, because if everybody is healthy, they have better chance to find their own way to fight hunger. Everybody can have a chance to find their own job.

The Uncommon Life

Uncommon Personalities: Meet David Anderson

October 21, 2013

David Anderson, UncommongGoods Inventory Transaction and Control Supervisor
My hometown is…
NYC!

My favorite process in the UncommonGoods warehouse is…
Sample Sale! Samples that our merchandising team decides not to include in our assortment are given very discounted prices and sold to our employees. They are all one of a kind and can not be found anywhere. I handle the storage, organization, and then set up of the actual sale event that we have every few months.

I’m inspired by…
Tastefully designed products, e.g., iPhone 5, Herman Miller, and things I build myself.

The best gift anyone has given me was…
Life. (Thanks Mom & Dad!)

An uncommon fact about me…
I lived in Africa, Europe, and the Bahamas before I turned 12.

When I’m not working, I’m probably…
Building computers, Legos, or models.

The word that best describes me…
Original!

Working at UncommonGoods, I’ve learned…
The Verrazano toll really adds up…

With a pile of stuff in front of me I would build…
(You’re given glitter glue, 3 wood blocks, a yard of fabric, a spool of string, and a cardboard box filled with wire hangers.)

I would unwind all the wire hangers and then use them to make a giant wire ball. Then I would glue the blocks together. I would then use the fabric to create a parachute for the blocks using the string to tie the ends around the blocks. Then I would tie points of the parachute to the top of the ball. Using more string I could suspend the entire wire ball in the air, with blocks suspended from the fabric, which hangs from the top of the ball! Yay!

The Uncommon Life

Uncommon Personalities: Meet Rebecca Paull Marshall

October 15, 2013

UncommonGoods Associate Art Director Rebecca Paull Marshall

Rebecca Paull Marshall, UncommonGoods Art Director
My hometown is…
Princeton, NJMy favorite project I’ve worked on at UncommonGoods is…
Happening right now! But it’s a secret. Shhhh.

I’m inspired by…
So much! On a daily basis though, I would be remiss not to mention Pinterest. It’s basically design crack.

I’m passionate about…
Kindness // Bicycles. They’re super fun, and environmentally friendly. Win-win. // The use of words in text messaging. No LOLs, please. // Travel. Restaurants, bars, stores, parties, hotels, countries, towns, cities you name it I want to be in it exploring. // The ocean // My family, friends, and relationship. // Mad Men! Breaking Bad! Game of Thrones! In no particular order. I’m a fair weather friend when it comes to TV.

An uncommon fact about me…
Did you know UncommonGoods employs the Dance Dance Revolution world champion? I can’t compete with that.

My favorite place to hang out in New York City is…
Sigh, R.I.P. Lakeside Lounge.

My style is…
Thankfully evolving.

Working at UncommonGoods, I’ve learned…
How fascinatingly beautiful the Brooklyn Army Terminal is.

Would you rather…Get a tattoo of a celebrity’s face OR relive your most embarrassing moment?
I think reliving my most embarrassing moments would remain interesting longer. Let’s just say it’s lucky that I have a sense of humor.

The Uncommon Life

Uncommon Personalities: Meet Valerie Baloga

October 8, 2013

Valerie Baloga, UncommonGoods Customer Service Team Lead

My hometown is…
Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania

The best customer interaction I’ve had at UncommonGoods was…
It’s always really fun when a customer calls expecting a fight and hangs up completely blown away by how easily their situation is resolved. One of the great things about working here is having enough freedom to really listen to what each customer needs and then being able to offer a solution that is really specific to the situation.

I’m inspired by…
Right now I find I am most inspired by people who take life into their own hands and live their dreams. Where there’s a will, there’s a way.

My guilty pleasure is…
’90s pop music.

An uncommon fact about me…
Before moving to New York in 2010, I spent one summer in Upstate New York, three summers in Maine, and an entire year in Richmond, VA working in theatre. I built and painted scenery and worked on props.

My favorite place to hang out in New York City is…
Prospect Park in good weather – and at the risk of looking like a huge nerd, the library. I frequent the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts and the Brooklyn Public Library.

My style is…
Casual. Comfortable. Colorful.

Working at UncommonGoods, I’ve learned…
I’ve learned so much, and I have acquired so many new skills – spreadsheets – they’re amazing! What I also learned, perhaps most importantly, is that some companies actually care about their customers and their employees. I’m so lucky to work for a B Corporation.

Would you rather… Tap dance OR ride your bike, in place of all of your walking?
I was all set to say bike, definitely. But then I thought, I might want to take the train sometimes, and how will I get up and down all those stairs on a bike? So I’m going to say tap dance.

The Uncommon Life

Uncommon Personalities: Meet Sha’Ron Burden

October 4, 2013

UncommonGoods Outbound Warehouse Team Lead Sha'ron Burden

Sha’Ron Burden, UncommonGoods Operations Supervisor

My hometown is…
Staten Island, New York

My Favorite Process in the UncommonGoods Warehouse is..
The Exporting process. As an exporter you are pretty much running the floor from a perspective of how much work you bring out and the type of work you bring out. I love the feeling that I can control the floor from my exporting room.

I am inspired by…
Knowing I have the ability to improve myself every second I am living life, and how a positive mind can bring about positive results.

My favorite interaction with a UG team member has been…
There are too many to pick out one, but all interactions have been pleasant.

An uncommon fact about me…
I have two. I am the only person in my family to go to and graduate college and I only wear MLB official game baseball hats–my hat collection is pretty large.

When I’m not working, I’m probably…
With my 6-year-old son Sha’Ron Jr letting him eat macaroni and cheese while watching Phineas and Ferb, playing basketball, watching Law & Order SVU, or dining at a restaurant somewhere in my beautiful city.

The word that best describes me…
MOTIVATED

Since working at UncommonGoods I’ve learned…
The ability to be great within a corporate structure, while starting from the bottom, still exists.

Would you rather… Spend a week camping in the forest with no contact with anyone OR a week hosting a 10 visitors you’d never met before in your apartment?
I’d host 10 strangers for a week, and we’d have a Law & Order party that would consist of us playing a sort of games relevant to the show.

The Uncommon Life

Uncommon Personalities: Meet Carolyn Topp

September 30, 2013

UncommonGoods Director of New Business and Product Development Carolyn Topp

Carolyn Topp, UncommonGoods Director of New Business and Product Development

My hometown is…
I grew up in Ardsley, NY, also home of the late great ice cream magnate Tom Carvel.

My favorite product we’ve developed at UncommonGoods is…
Always something new or that will soon be in our assortment; this month it’s our Pedigree Poem Collection, which was inspired by my Airedale Terrier, Nelson.

I’m inspired by…
Possibilities.

My guilty pleasure is…
I don’t believe in guilt.

An uncommon fact about me…
I was a cellist in Harry Alshin’s junior string orchestra (Westchester County, NY). We performed a concert at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC (in the early 1970s) and each member of the orchestra was listed in the Congressional Record.

My favorite place to eat in New York City is (was)…
Florent– it represents a time and a place in NYC that no longer exists.

My style is…
My personal style is urban practical and classic.
My decorating style is eclectic – a mix of old and new, colorful, and comfortable for people and pets.

Working at UncommonGoods, I’ve learned…
Something new each day.

Would you rather… Spend a day on the set of Mad Men OR get front row seats and backstage passes at a Bruce Springsteen concert?
“You cannot be serious” (to quote John McEnroe) with this question. Bruce.

The Uncommon Life

Uncommon Personalities: Meet Norma Medina

September 23, 2013

UncommonGoods Customer Service Representative Norma Medina

Norma Medina, UncommonGoods Customer Service Representative
My hometown is…
Tucson, AZ

The best customer interaction I’ve had at UncommonGoods was…
A customer was once so pleased with the customer service I provided for him that he purchased a gift from UG and had it delivered to my desk.

I’m inspired by…
The unwavering dedication a person can have when they feel deep down inside their heart that what they are doing is right.

My guilty pleasure is…
Chocolate.

An uncommon fact about me…
I have been an invited guest at both Obama inaugurations.

My favorite place to hang out in New York City is…
The Actors Studio on 44th–something magical happens there every day.

My style is…
At times embarrassingly casual.

Working at UncommonGoods, I’ve learned…
So much about myself, the skills I have learned are immeasurable and the window to my weaknesses is huge.

Would you rather…Direct a production of Cats in its Broadway revival OR live life as an actual cat for one week?
Direct. I lived with a cat for 21 years and hope as a director I could pull from the actor the secrets and nuances that make the kings and queens of domesticity be real.