When you work for a company run by a couple of Star Trek geeks, it makes for some interesting moments. And it doesn’t take long for the uninitiated to become, ahem, assimilated. (I know, it’s really not a technically correct Star Trek reference; just go with it.) From the very beginning of Bit-Wizards, when Vince and Louis began naming computers and servers after Star Trek characters and ships, the sci-fi classic became embedded into the company’s culture.
So, when J.J. Abrahams re-booted
Star Trek in 2009, Bit-Wizards and friends were among the first in the area to see it. Fast-forward to 2013. The month of May has been a Star-Trek-themed event throughout the Bit-Wizards office leading up to the premier of the 2009 sequel. But there are now considerably more “wizards” in the fold, meaning two theatre rows just would not cut it.
On opening day for
Star Trek Into Darkness, the Bit-Wizards team, along with their family and friends, were treated to a private showing at the Destin AMC theatre, nearly filling the 108 seat auditorium.
Steve Adams, a senior web developer for Bit-Wizards remarked before the movie started that, “. . . it’s pretty nice to know that you can tell someone to be quiet during the movie without a worry — because everyone in the theatre pretty much knows everyone else.”
By all outward accounts, the new film satisfied everyone, including the hard-core trekkies. And if there was a defining moment for the fans, it may have been when (spoiler alert) the villain was revealed as Khan, a character from both the original series and the second Star Trek movie,
The Wrath of Khan.
Co-founder and Bit-wizards COO,
Louis Erickson, says, “Team-building social events are a key component of the Bit-Wizards culture and foster strong personal relationships that make people feel connected when at work and you will always go a little bit further to help a friend. Star Trek has always inspired Bit-Wizards with its technology, optimistic view of the future, and a diverse crew, all working together to accomplish great things. So, it was an automatic decision to take the entire team, our families, and our friends to see this newest ‘Trek’ movie.”
For many professionals in the IT industry, work is, well, just work. But for the engineers and designers at Bit-Wizards, the geek culture is alive, well, and encouraged.