How would you describe what you do to someone who knows nothing about Clif Bar or your role?
It would be really great if we could all wake up, come to work, and just start making bars just like grandma used to do. What most don’t realize is the massive amount of technology and data that Clif Bar uses to ensure that our bars are being made as designed, packaged, and sent off around the world. As the PM for IT, I manage many of the projects around getting the software systems and internal tools in place to help Clif Bar run smoothly.
What do you love most about working at Clif Bar?
Through and through, Clif Bar is a great place to work: from the inspiring and amazing coworkers, to all the great benefits, to Clif Bar’s core values and aspirations. I love working for a company that strives to do better in and for the world.
What are your interests and passions outside of work?
Outside of work, I love traveling and eating (preferably both at the same time)! A majority of my travel has been internationally, I’ve been to over 20 countries; but my goal is to start exploring the USA more! I’ve started planning an “Explore America” trip via Amtrak and am excited to see what’s out there in our backyard.
What is one of your most memorable food experiences?
I’ve had some interesting food experiences around the world, but the most memorable food memories are all centered around meals at home with my family. Coming from a very large Vietnamese/Chinese family where a typical family dinner consists of 40 people, we are quite loud and rowdy. My favorite memories are of my dad taking out the dining table extension and all my cousins fighting over the best seats…. of my grandma insisting to find the fattiest bits of meat… of the massive amounts of food weighing down the table because my mom always cooked enough for double the amount of eaters.
What has been or will be your greatest adventure?
I just moved into a house that has a huge yard. My current adventure has been taming the yard. I call it “the jungle” and I am not exaggerating: it is completely overgrown with ivy and scraggy trees, there is a whole downed log back there, and probably lots of snakes. I was able to put three planter boxes recently and just started my Spring garden (my first vegetable garden ever) and so far it’s been a huge learning experience! Thank goodness of Youtube, otherwise these plants would be dead.