Here’s something you don’t see every day – someone trading in her mortarboard for a proverbial executive cap. But four months after she began an internship with Bulu Box, Caitlin Bales (pictured to the right) became the company’s chief technology officer.
And that’s a pretty cool story.
According to a press release, Bulu Box, a subscription-based vitamin and supplement seller, brought Bales on as a University of Nebraska-Lincoln intern in January.
Bales was recruited by Microsoft, but defected for the Nebraska startup after being inspired by the innovative product and culture offered by Bulu Box.
As CTO, Bales will develop and maintain web operations, data infrastructure and technology strategy.
“We set out to find someone with exceptional talent who would complement our already fantastic team,” said Bulu Box Co-Founder and CMO Stephanie Jarrett in the press release. “In hiring Caitlin, Bulu Box is getting that talent—adding another woman in leadership at the chief level is just a bonus.”
What’s the lesson here? There’s a few:
- If you have the right person in place, do what you can to keep her (or him).
- Don’t let age be a factor. Sometimes the right fit for your company’s needs may be younger… or older.
- [And one not obvious to what’s written above] Take advantage of a pipeline. When you look at the “about us” section of Bulu Box, you’ll see University of Nebraska-Lincoln has been the breeding ground for almost all its talent. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.