Arraya Solutions’ Open House Recap – October 16, 2014
Last week, Arraya Solutions hosted IT leaders from around the region at its fourth annual Open House and Technology Day. In addition to the usual networking opportunities with peers and industry-leading vendors, this year’s event held extra significance as it also celebrated Arraya’s milestone 15th corporate anniversary.
The event was held on Thursday, October 16, at the ACE Club in Lafayette Hill, PA and featured a keynote address from a true Philadelphia-area icon, Flyers’ Stanley Cup winning goaltender and NHL Hall of Famer Bernie Parent.
The festivities began with a chance for attendees to network with each other, as well as visit tables dedicated to each of Arraya’s five strategic partners including Cisco, EMC, Microsoft, VCE Company, and VMware. This gave them the opportunity to learn about the latest products and services the vendors had to offer. Several reps were on hand to answer questions attendees had and help with product demonstrations and tutorials.
Next, Dan Lifshutz, Arraya’s CEO and co-founder took to the stage to share his thoughts on the journey the company has taken over the past 15 years. Lifshutz spoke about how he’s watched it grow from just two employees all the way up to nearly 75. He made sure to pay special tribute to Arraya’s customers and employees, who’ve grown with the company and helped to mold it into what it is today.
Lifshutz then introduced a video which sought to answer the question “Why Arraya?” The video featured firsthand testimonials from employees and customers to give the audience a complete look at Arraya, both inside and out. These individuals shared their insight and thoughts on Arraya’s technical know-how, its corporate culture and how those two elements have worked hand-in-hand to create a unique experience for customers.
Following that, Lifshutz turned the floor over to Parent, who won back-to-back Stanley Cups with the Philadelphia Flyers in 1974 and 1975. Parent focused on the themes of seizing opportunities and overcoming fear, and he illustrated those points with personal stories from across the scope of his hockey career. The themes Parent discussed were right in line with the night’s overall celebration of how Lifshutz and Arraya CTO and co-founder David Bakker took a chance of their own 15 years ago by starting Arraya and how their risk has made a difference for so many. After his speech had wrapped, Parent stayed and signed autographs and chatted with attendees.
In addition to rubbing elbows with a sports icon, attendees also had a chance to enter into raffles for a chance to win a number of prizes, including a Flyers jersey signed by Parent, a brand new Windows Surface 2 tablet or a Fitbit device. Attendees were all also treated to a free copy of Parent’s book “Journey through Risk and Fear” just for being a part of the event.
Overall, the night covered multiple bases for those who attended. It took a professional networking and learning experience and transplanted that into a more social, laid-back atmosphere. You can view pictures from the event on Arraya’s Facebook page here. To learn more about the full slate of fun and informative upcoming events that Arraya has on its schedule, please check out http://www.arrayasolutions.com/newsandevents.
