Employee Spotlight: Gabby Blados

At EMI, our team is one of our strongest assets– and it’s growing! In the past year, we’ve had a lot of new additions to our team, and we want to take some time to highlight them and the unique strengths they bring to EMI. This week, we’re kicking off with Sample Consultant, Gabrielle Blados. Continue reading to learn more about Gabby!

What do you do at EMI?

I am a Sample Sourcing Consultant here at EMI and each day I provide custom solutions to support the research objectives of each study that comes along.

What led you to EMI?

My journey to EMI was an interesting one. I happened to meet our CEO, Mike Holmes, at an outing and we started talking about Marketing and Market Research. I had recently graduated from Clemson University and reached out about my interest in taking part in their internship program.

When you aren’t at work, you are…

When I am outside of work, I am most likely around a volleyball court. This past year I have started coaching club volleyball. I played volleyball at Clemson University, and since graduating it’s been a lot of fun to start coaching and I have absolutely loved getting back into the “swing” of things… pun intended!

What’s your favorite food?

My favorite food, or meal, would have to be a nice steak dinner. Can’t get much better than that!

What’s your best travel story?

One of my favorite travel stories stems from my family traveling up to Indiana University almost every weekend to watch their volleyball team. On our way to Bloomington, we would make a stop in the town of Nashville, IN at the Nashville House restaurant to pick up a bag of biscuits to bring to the game.

What kind of music do you listen to?

I know it’s a lame answer, but I really listen to all types of music. I can jump around from any genre!

If you could learn anything, what would it be?

If I could learn anything it would be how to do home improvement projects. I love watching HGTV and watching all the renovation shows gives me so much inspiration, but I am not handy at all to do any of them.

If you could have dinner with any person, living, dead, or fictional, who would you dine with?

I think if I was given the opportunity to dine with someone famous, I would choose Emma Stone. I have loved almost every movie she has been in, especially her latest, Cruella. She seems like someone who is inviting and would have a ton of great stories to share.

Do you have a favorite movie/tv quote?

It’s so hard to pick a favorite, but I would have to say my favorites come from The Office. It’s my favorite tv show and I have watched all the series all the way through too many times to count. At this point, I can almost tie any conversation I have back to something that happened in the show and could shout out a quote. My most used would probably have to be the “fashion show at lunch” quote. Whenever any of my friends or family comes in from a shopping trip, I immediately shout it out to see what they have.

Tell me one interesting fact about yourself

One interesting fact about me is that I have loud hiccups that happen throughout the day… EVERYDAY. It’s been a running joke that I’ve had the hiccups for over a decade.

What would you do for a career if you weren’t doing this?

If I wasn’t working at EMI or in marketing research, I would want to be an Optometrist. I originally went into college majoring in Genetics but switched my major to Marketing as one of my general education classes opened my eyes to this field and I fell in love.

Do you have a personal motto or mantra?

My motto stems from when I was 16 years old and I was recruited for volleyball. I was hanging out at the place where I did gymnastics growing up, and where my mom currently coaches. While I was there, I was talking to Mary Lee Tracy, the owner and former Olympic Team coach, about my experience. During the conversation she asked me point blank, “Do you want to be good or great?” A bit stunned at the question, I replied “Great” and she told me, “…Then cut the crap and get it done.” This has stuck with me and shaped who I am today. Whenever I am working on something tough or facing any sort of adversity, I think to myself, “Do you want to be good or great?” and try to cut out all the distractions and focus on the task at hand.

What is your favorite thing about working at EMI?

There are so many things I love about working at EMI. From a work standpoint, I enjoy the fact that each day brings a new and exciting puzzle I need to put together. From a fun standpoint, I love the culture we’ve created at EMI. We always look to do fun and exciting things in the office which keeps things interesting. Whether it be cooking a full steak and potato dinner for lunch using our office kitchen supplies or tasting new flavors of cookies each week, when I spend time in the office, I know it’s going to be a great day!

Which of our four core values here at EMI (Agility, Accountability, Integrity, or Passion) do you most relate to?

Out of the four core values at EMI, I believe that the Agility value represents me the most. From all fronts, I enjoy being someone my team can lean on for anything they need, so I can jump from task to task making sure I’m helping us all reach our end goals successfully.