It’s no secret that we strive to create a healthy work environment here at Pro Athlete. One of our 12 Core Values is built around that very approach. When we do things to live out our Core Values, you know it will affect other employees and their families, and we always hope that we can positively affect others as well.

The story below is an example of someone that was touched and motivated by one of our Core Values. You might be thinking that the motivation helped this person do better at their job or get a big raise, and maybe it will. But in this case, right now, the impact was a heck of a lot bigger than either of those things. We are talking about motivation to kick a life-threatening habit. Here is Rob’s story:

"I have wanted to get in since I first heard about the company. However at that time, I had a good job, but even more importantly, I was a smoker. 25 years of 1/2-1 pack per day. When I lost my job in June I still wouldn’t submit my resume because of smoking, seeing how much of an anti-smoking place the company is, but decided to finally send my resume at being smoke-free for about six weeks. I have now been tobacco free for over four months. I knew I wanted to quit, but honestly, it was the desire to work at Pro Athlete Inc. that put it over the top for me. So, whether anything opens up there or not, I am very thankful that I found out about the company and it being such a desirable place to work, as I now feel comfortable enough to call myself a non-smoker. I’m not naive enough to think cravings won’t hit ever again, but I am strong enough to beat it. So, really, thank you Pro Athlete Inc." -Rob D. 

When Rob shared this story with us, we invited him to our facility to thank him for the gift he gave us. As a company built around strong Core Values, there is no greater gift we could get from a stranger than that person telling us we made a positive impact on their life. Rob toured earlier this week, and it was amazing to see how much he knew about our company. It felt like he could be the one giving the tour!

We don’t know what the future holds for Rob and potentially working here, but we know that there is always a chance that the next game-winning moment for our company might just start with Rob. We also know that we were just as touched and motivated by his story as he was by our company!