25 Year Reflections: Royd Graham

As we celebrate 25 years of building community, we asked our team to reflect on their own growth from 1999 to today. How did Financial Operations Consultant Royd Graham find himself at Bridgepoint 25 years later? Read the full interview below to get an inside look at his story.

Fax machines, pagers, and dial-up internet! What was your biggest work tech headache 25 years ago?

No internet access — and when did get it, such as at a hotel, we had to pay for it. We had no cell phones, or if we did, they were still pay by minute. And we had annoying dial-up at home.

What was your dream office perk in 1999? Free coffee? Casual Fridays?

Casual dress everyday, unlimited PTO. Food was always provided when we worked late, including lunches. Always free coffee, cokes, teas.

Did your job require wearing a suit and tie every day in 1999? Share your most memorable (or outrageous) work outfit from the late 90s!

No, we could wear golf shirts, khakis daily, and jeans on Friday. Our office did a Halloween decoration and dress-up competition every year that got very competitive — lots of fun bonding, and the big meal provided by the company with potluck add-ons was a lot of fun.

In 1999, how did you collaborate with colleagues? Did you miss out on the ease of video conferencing we have today?

Phone, email. At best, we had Webex, but it was still in its infancy.

What office supply did you hoard the most back in the late 90s? Highlighters? Sticky notes? Share your most embarrassing office supply hoarding confession!

Binders and binder organizers (by number, month, company, and project). We had digital, but also lots of binders.

What skill did you use the most at work in 1999, and how has that skill evolved or been replaced by technology today?

In 199, we talked on phone for 7 to 8 hours every day. Now, we mostly use Teams, chat, and email.

Looking back, what surprised you the most about how work has changed in the past 25 years?

Technology improvements have not meant less time at work, just more expected faster. And with connectivity of cell phone, smart phones, email, text, and Teams, it seems we cannot ever unplug. I appreciate that Bridgepoint supports the unplug/extra time off days where everyone gets to recharge and get away from company work for a long weekend.