One of the best ways to build a healthy, vibrant community is to follow the simple rule of “giving without the intent of getting”. Think about the strongest community people in your life, and you will probably observe that they all exhibit attributes of selflessness and initiative. At Origin we believe that we are nothing without our community. With that in mind we are thrilled to welcome Austin to the Origin community team.

A few years ago, I received an email from Austin offering to volunteer with our upcoming TEDxBoulder event that I was organizing. Austin designed slides for several speakers and took the initiative to help with our promotion efforts. We planned the event remotely, so I don’t think I hung out with Austin for more than an hour before the event. When we finally had some time to catch up afterwards though, Austin was extremely joyous about what we had accomplished together. This was my first exposure to Austin’s energetic, optimistic, and selfless attitude. It was clear that he thrived off of contributing to the success of others. We were super proud of all of our work volunteering together, and I formed a new friendship with Austin as an added bonus.

Austin Virts

A few years later Austin continued to build his marketing company helping others market, evangelize, and grow their companies. He worked with food, adventure, and clothing brands and helped entrepreneurs from all around the world connect with their audiences.

A couple months ago Austin and I ran into each other at a coffee shop in Boulder, and he wanted to chat about Origin. It was readily apparent that he was extremely passionate about what we were doing. Austin started with a short-term contract helping us kickstart our social media channels with a focus on growing our user base and increasing our engagement. Austin has worked tirelessly and showed once again that he is a selfless, mission-driven member of the team; everyone has been amazed with how much he can bring to the table. It was an easy decision to bring him on full-time.

Austin enjoys adventure more than almost anyone I’ve ever met. On any given day in Boulder you can find him hiking, paddle-boarding, climbing, or trail running in the mountains around town. He focuses on constant daily improvements, and we expect him to excel in his marketing role just as effortlessly as he does exploring the great outdoors.

Beyond working on social media, paid marketing, and video creation and curation at Origin, Austin has also enthusiastically filled several gaps in other parts of the organization. He demonstrates great initiative and an ability to perform well in ambiguous, quickly-changing environments.

At Origin, there is a strong focus on building an authentic community. We need to distill complex stories about innovative technology, disruptive business models, and new Internet paradigms into easily comprehensible posts and video. Today’s message is clear and simple though. We are extremely excited to say to Austin, “Welcome to Origin”.

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