I'm a firm believer that offices and teams often take on the personalities of the place they're located. When I look around Salesforce Chicago, I see the same sense of camaraderie and grit that makes Chicago such a vibrant, diverse city. I believe the spirit of teamwork in our workplace is one of the big reasons the Chicago Tribune has recognized Salesforce Chicago as the #1 top workplace for 2018.

In my seven years with the company, I've witnessed this office expand from nine people to more than 1,400 employees. As a result, we've added significantly to our real estate footprint and have created a Salesforce Innovation Center in Chicago, an immersive environment where we welcome customers to envision their future and share how Salesforce can help drive their digital transformation. And, this past June, more than 15,000 people joined us here in Chicago for our Salesforce Connections conference — which brings Trailblazers together to share, collaborate, and learn about marketing.

Chicago is an important city for Salesforce. The city is a hub for a diverse set of industries, home to many corporate headquarters, and also has some of the country's top colleges and universities. As we grow here, and in cities around the world, we're committed to making sure our team reflects the communities in which we operate. Our employees have the opportunity to give back in the areas they're passionate about in a variety of ways, including volunteer paid time off, matching grants, pro bono work at nonprofits using our product, or working with one of our Ohana Groups – our employee-led groups celebrating diverse life experiences and backgrounds, as well as their allies. For example, our LatinoForce chapter is partnering with a program that helps seventh-graders find the right path for a successful future. I'm also so proud of our hub's collective work with Cameron Elementary School and our exciting new partnership with Solorio High School.

We take our work seriously, but we try not to take ourselves too seriously. We have fun as a group, from our annual summer picnics in Northerly Island to our legendary talent shows, our Chicago team's camaraderie shines through every day.