To Our Customers, Partners and Communities…
Christopher Reeve, best known for his big screen role as Superman, once defined a hero as “… an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles.”
By this definition, we each have the “super power” it takes to be a hero, which I think has become quite evident in recent months.
As trying as 2020 has been, the COVID-19 pandemic has given us the opportunity to recognize how resilient and remarkable we are as individuals and communities as well as a species. It has also revealed just how many heroes there really are in this world, including but not limited to:
- The front-line workers who have so selflessly showed up at our local businesses and homes to deliver the goods and services that help us maintain some sense of normalcy in uncertain times.
- The first responders and healthcare workers who have answered our calls for help, stayed by our sides and done everything they can to save our lives, despite the risks to their own.
- The parents, teachers and guardians who have spent countless hours creatively educating, entertaining and nurturing children.
- The families and friends who have demonstrated their love and support for us in simple, yet substantial, ways.
- The neighbors who have stepped up to tend to each other’s lawns, run errands for those at high risk, make meals for those who are sick and just share a comforting wave or smile from a window to remind us we’re not alone.
- The volunteers who have supported organizations such as the Red Cross and Direct Relief to help sustain their mission of providing life-saving food, medicines and supplies to people all around the world.
- The strangers who have kept their distance and worn their masks to help keep us safe, hung signs of goodwill to keep our spirits high and expressed simple kindness in millions of different ways.
- The business partners and suppliers who have gone above and beyond to ensure we have the tools we (as companies) need to support our customers, so that they can continue to support their customers.
Though we may be acutely aware of the tremendous impact that even the smallest acts of generosity have on our lives, members from across Zebra Nation wanted to reiterate their immense gratitude for each of them. Watch this:
Once again, thank you to our heroes: the customers, partners, friends, family and community members who have blessed and sustained Zebras with your goodwill! It is because of you that we remain fiercely united in our will to survive and our mission to help others thrive.
This virus may have forced members of Zebra Nation to increase our physical distance a bit more than usual, but it has actually brought us closer together in many ways, inspiring us to embrace “challenges” as “opportunities” to do better and be better. And though the path forward may look a little different than it did before the COVID-19 outbreak, we will continue to work day and night – from home and the front lines – to ensure our customers, partners and communities have the tools they need to carry on.
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Editor’s Note:
Find out how Zebras have been leveraging their physical, emotional and intellectual strengths to develop new solutions that can make your job a little easier and safer during the COVID-19 crisis. Catch up on recent blog posts.
Jeff Schmitz
Jeff Schmitz became Chief People Officer in March 2023. He has more than 30 years of experience in technology, engineering and marketing, and he joined Zebra Technologies in 2016.
In his previous role as Chief Marketing Officer, Jeff launched Zebra’s award-winning PartnerConnect program and led the company’s first major brand refresh. In 2020, Jeff also took on the role of Chief Human Resources Officer. As CMO/CHRO, he focused on attracting, retaining and developing top talent and creating opportunities for growth and development within Zebra’s inclusive culture and diverse workforce, and he continues to focus on these areas today as Chief People Officer.
Prior to joining Zebra, Jeff served as General Manager and held other leadership roles at Spirent Communications, Visual Networks and Tellabs. He has a master’s degree in computer science from the Illinois Institute of Technology and a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering and computer science from Marquette University. In addition, he is the executive sponsor of Edge, Zebra’s Millennial and Gen Z Employee Resource Group.
