At Thrive Workplace, we strive to cultivate a creative, collaborative and sophisticated community that supports every member and affords each of them both the tools and the space they need to thrive. We realize that each member is unique and everyone brings something different to the community.

For every member, the path to success varies and Thrive brings entrepreneurs and employees from a myriad of verticals together into a welcoming and collaborative ecosystem that fosters innovation. Marz Rodriguez, senior vice president of operations at JackRabbit Systems, the tourism and travel industry’s preferred choice for development of custom travel search engines for destination and travel portal websites, explains how JackRabbit Systems got to where it is and offers tips and advice others can use to thrive and succeed — no matter the industry.

JackRabbit Systems works to provide software solutions that generate purpose-driven insights for the global travel industry and the company is in the middle of its busiest season. JackRabbit recently acquired Zerista, the ultimate event or conference management app, and every month for the past few months, the company of 50 has managed about 15-20 events per week through the innovative platform. This increased activity is a big deal for a business the size of JackRabbit and ensuring that employees and clients stay on the same page is crucial to their success.

Rodriguez and the JackRabbit team use a number of tools in order to stay on the same page, but in the end, it comes down to communication and having a mutual respect for others.

“JackRabbit is a tight-knit team and it’s important we are all on the same page and communicate a lot,” Rodriguez said. “If something isn’t properly communicated, things can fall through the cracks and that can have a negative impact.”

Rodriguez mentioned all of the moving parts that make up JackRabbit Systems — project managers, business analysts, data entry employees, marketing teams and designers — and further highlighted the importance of communication, “we have lots of meetings and want to make sure everyone knows exactly what’s going on.”

Part of the JackRabbit team’s approach to effective communication involves focusing on people as individuals, treating everyone with mutual respect and formulating genuine, personal connections.

“We treat each other like family,” Rodriguez said. “I really feel that if you make the personal connection with whoever you’re working with or for, it feels more authentic and develops a connection. It’s important to develop an individualized connection with everyone on our team. If it becomes personal, people want to give more.”

As you can see, the key to the success of Rodriguez and JackRabbit Systems is not some big secret. There are countless project management resources out there, but no single tool will do everything for you. As a result, focusing on individual people, treating everyone with mutual respect and formulating genuine, personal connections will help with communication — a crucial aspect that allows your organization to succeed.

At Thrive, communication and mutual respect for others are cornerstones of the member experience. We strive to develop a warm, welcoming and open workplace that not only encourages communication and conversation but ultimately, collaboration.

If you see Marz or any of the rest of the JackRabbit Systems team around the work space, come say hello!