One quiz = 30 trees.
How to participate in our Million Trees Challenge and what we are doing to prepare for hurricane season.
On today’s edition of Up To Speed, host Raquel Wilson shared a full news rundown.
Reflecting on the Memorial Day Holiday
Raquel started the show by acknowledging our recent Memorial Day holiday and the importance of having reflected and remembered those who died in service for our country.
She reminded V Teamers that they can still head over to VZWeb to read some of the comments and tributes to fallen heroes – folks left photos, memories and acknowledgement of their sacrifice.
You can click here to read the article and comments.
Verizon Consumer Group Org Changes
Perhaps you already read the news in a letter from Verizon Consumer Group’s CEO Sowmyanarayan Sampath last Wednesday in which he unveiled VCG’s new Blueprint for Growth – the plan to re-ignite growth as the #1 carrier in the country. But if you didn't, here is a recap.
Sampath explained that the plan is focused on how we drive sales across every channel, take ownership of the end-to-end customer experience, maximize our marketing and invest in our people.
To bring that plan to life, a new organizational structure will be implemented on July 5, including a six-market structure to enable increased investment in our front lines, empowerment of local leaders, more resources for local marketing and on the ground activations and a stronger sense of community.
Six Market Presidents and Vice President’s will oversee the markets and report to a Chief Sales Officer, which is one of the new roles introduced last week. Senior Vice President of Consumer Field Sales Kelley Kurtzman will serve as Acting Chief Sales Office until the role is filled.
Sampath also introduced a new Chief Customer Experience Officer role which will be held by Brian Higgins.
For a detailed look at the organizational structure be sure to check your inbox for Sampath’s email.
World Environment Day
Team, we are less than a week away from World Environment Day which is celebrated annually on June 5 and today we’re learning more about how Verizon connects with groups looking to keep the environment top of mind and move the needle on climate protection.
We shared a video featuring Andy who was able to catch up with three Verizon supported organizations making a difference in Southern California: Tree San Diego, Surfrider Foundation and Wildcoast.
These organizations are protecting ocean habitats, cleaning beaches around the world and planting new trees throughout San Diego.
You can click here to learn more about how Verizon is partnering with these incredible organizations and their important missions.
What can you do to pitch in?
Now team, you might be wondering, what can I do to make a difference for our environment?
Well, the Verizon Green Team is encouraging us to celebrate World Environment Day through the “Million Trees Challenge”. We’re aiming to plant one million trees and we invite all V Teamers to join us in this effort.
V Teamers can earn trees planted through their participation in various activities like our science-based targets quiz where 30 trees will be planted per quiz participant. You have from now until June 9 to make a difference and get some trees planted!
Click here to get involved in the “Million Trees Challenge” and to find other neat ways to help our environment!
Start of Hurricane Season
Hurricane season is fast approaching but as always our network teams are working around the clock to ensure our people and assets are ready to be deployed at the drop of a hat to assist with rapid recovery efforts and to ensure people stay connected when it matters most.
Verizon maintains a fleet of over 550 portable assets, including fully functional, generator-powered cell sites that can replace or enhance network coverage and capacity in a given area as well as drones and a fixed wing aircraft.
But that’s not all – Verizon boasts an industry-leading 200 satellite-based portable network assets. These satellite assets provide an alternate way to connect cell sites to the rest of the network in the event that a fiber cable is lost due to commercial power outages or physical damage.
Click here if you’d like to learn more about Verizon’s priorities in recovery, fleet vehicles, first responder services and more.
5G Innovation Sessions are back
Verizon Business is bringing its 5G Innovation Sessions tour back to the Big Apple on June 7, at the ASPIRE New York at One World Observatory in the World Trade Center.
The event will feature presentations, panels, and demonstrations showcasing the power of Verizon 5G for Enterprise, Mid-Market and Frontline customers, partners, media and analysts.
There’s an all-star lineup of speakers from Verizon Business, Ericsson, PepsiCo, the National Hockey League, the City of New York, and the National Football League.
The next stop on the 5G Innovation Sessions tour will be in August in San Francisco, California.
Celebrating a diamond anniversary
Think about how long you’ve been a V Teamer. Some of you may have been around longer than others, but it’s safe to say that George Jensen, an equipment installation technician, has most of us beat.
George is Verizon’s most tenured employee and recently celebrated his 60th anniversary with the company!
George’s journey started with Verizon’s predecessor, New England Telephone in 1963. From there George’s career grew alongside our networks as he witnessed the evolution of network technology, even playing a role in installing the first fiber optic route around Boston.
George’s dedication to Verizon and our customers was recognized at a recent town hall in George’s hometown of Boston, we caught it all on camera, be sure to check out our replay video above to relive the special moment.
Congratulations, George! What an achievement and inspiration for all of us.
What’s your favorite corporate slang?
We closed out the show with a fun video recently shared on our InsideVerizon social handles.
Our career team took the time to ask a couple of V Teamers their favorite corporate slang, be sure to check it out on our Tik Tok page.
And team, we want to know your favorite corporate slang! So let us know in the comments.
If you have any questions, email them to live@verizon.com.
