MEMBER SPOTLIGHT: KENZIE AND HARRISON BRENDLE

Could you tell us who you are and what it is that you do?

Kenzie and Harrison Brendle. First and foremost parents to a four year old and two dogs. On the work front, Harrison runs a small Data Analytics business in the IT industry. The company is called HopperBlue and they just hired their 11th employee. Kenzie operates as Chief of Staff for the development office at the Duke Law School. We just moved back to Charlottesville in September and love our arrangement with Studio IX. You probably see us, but see us on different days. We live in Earlysville but our little one attends preschool downtown. Having the shared space allows us to drop her off, work for a couple hours before it's time to be picked up. It is the perfect setup to our daily routine. 

What do you love most about the work?

Every day there is a new problem to solve. Both of us are motivated by continuous learning opportunities and more importantly, helping others. 

How did you arrive at this point in your career? What’s your backstory?

A bit of luck. A bit of Faith. Lots of moving. 

We started our working career in Raleigh, NC. In Raleigh Harrison was working for Cisco Systems and Kenzie worked at the Art Institute. Being a Charlottesville native, Kenzie wanted to move back to the area and landed a job at the Jefferson Scholars Foundation at the University of Virginia.

After 6 years in Charlottesville, while working at the Jefferson Scholars Foundation, Kenzie took up indoor cycling which ultimately led her to open a Cycle studio back in NC. This time in Chapel Hill. We both wanted to get back to NC because at the time that is where our families were and we were close to starting one of our own. 

The cycle studio had so much good energy and we loved it. But for a variety of reasons it did not work out and Kenzie landed a job at Duke University; first with Duke Global Health Institute with a group that did Malaria research (very interesting ask her about it) and ultimately has found a home at the Law School. 

For Harrison. He spent a decade at Cisco Systems in a variety of roles but mostly in Channel Sales. Early in his career, he established a working relationship with his current company, HopperBlue, and 3 Years ago the owners of the company asked if he would be interested in taking over the organization. Drawing parallels to his experience at Cisco, it was a great growth opportunity and one that could not be passed up.

So today, Here we stand, back in Charlottesville for a second stint and very fortunate to both have jobs that we could move with. 

Has there been a light switch moment, a turning point, professionally &/or personally along the way?

The birth of our child combined with the pandemic changed us in a few monumental ways. First, we both became great at time management and prioritizing our work activities, because we knew we were going to prioritize our family life. This has caused us to become increasingly more efficient. Second, the little one has opened our eyes to how we view people in the workplace and the relationships we have developed a deeper capacity to connect with people and manage relationships in our life. We are much more empathic, and much more in tune with what others may be going through. The pandemic was part of this as well. Lastly, negotiation. Harrison is much better with his clients because of the practice he has negotiating with a four year old. 

What are you currently working on, excited about, looking forward to?

Harrison's company is trying to stay on the forefront of AI. He is working on developing a new machine learning algorithm to help his customers. I think AI/ML presents a new wave of thinking and it is an exciting new challenge. 

Kenzie's team is growing and she is so great at organizational alignment. They have a lot of new pieces and she is eager to get everyone rowing in the same direction. Additionally, the Law School is currently working on expanding their footprint internationally. She is working with the Dean of the law school on a new campaign launch as well as new events and assignments. 

Anything we missed that you might care to share (closing thoughts)?

We appreciate the opportunity to share our story. If you see us, be sure to say hello. We love learning about what everyone does and is working on.