A senior customer operations specialist in our Raleigh office, Teddy's been with the company since 2013.
1. What five words best describe you at work?
Ambitious, confident, determined, cheerful, and competitive.
2. What do you do to relax?
While it may not seem “relaxing” to most people, I enjoy working on a farm. I help out at Walker Farm -- owned by a family friend outside Hillsboro NC. I’ve been with them for eight or nine years now, working with cattle, tractors and traditional row crops like corn and wheat, as well as practically any summer vegetable you can think of, including cucumbers and tomatoes. I grew up in an ag community and then, studied agribusiness and animal science at NC State. For me, farming is relaxing and relieves stress. If I could do it all the time, I would!
3. What’s your favorite book or movie?
My favorite movie is Where The Red Fern Grows, about a young boy growing up on a farm in the early 1900s. He wanted a couple of hunting dogs and had to do a lot of extra work to earn the money to get them. Once he did, they were “his own.” The movie teaches two lessons. One, work hard for what you want, and two, once you get what you want, love and cherish it. I have two dogs of my own – Hermione and Sansa – so I feel very connected to the movie. If you haven’t seen it, you should – and keep a box of tissues nearby.
4. What are people surprised to learn about you?
I’m a fourth generation – the fourth Theodore Lupton here in North Carolina, after my dad, grandad, and great grandad.
5. What advice would you give a new TKXS employee?
Embrace the culture. Get to know other people. Stay driven to do your best. Participate. If you do that, you end up with friends, not just co-workers. If you're in Raleigh, be sure to come by the break room at 4:00 p.m. on Fridays, where we keep a couple of kegs of beer on tap, along with a decent selection of bottles and cans. It can take you many places.
