How These Two LeagueApps Teammates Bring Passion to Work Everyday
By Melissa Wickes
May 3, 2022
4 min
Here at LeagueApps, we believe that our value system is one of the many things that sets us apart from other organizations. Each week, LeagueApps team members have the opportunity to recognize peers who have demonstrated one or more of our values by shouting them out for that value during our All Hands meeting. Not only does this give individuals (other than the employee’s manager) the opportunity to commend their peers for their contributions, but it allows for the larger LeagueApps team to stay connected to each milestone as we strive to achieve our company objectives.
Employees who truly embody any of these values are named SPORTSDOG Award recipients during our annual ceremony, based on a company-wide vote.
Award recipients are featured on banners hung above our desks in the office. Brian Litvack, CEO, frequently says “we work under our values,” and that is consistently exemplified in the way our employees service our partners and prospects in a values aligned way.
In the first part of our SPORTSDOG series, we introduced you to the first value of the acronym—Sportsmanship. Bharat Chopra was named Sportsmanship Value Champion during the 2021 ceremony for the ways he’s been a fair, generous, value-driven, and honest member of the LeagueApps team.
Our next SPORTSDOG spotlight is Passion. This value is especially important to us because it highlights how much we care about everything we do. We’re passionate about delivering amazing sports experiences for all. It’s who we are and why we come to work every day.
The passion of each of our employees can be felt in many different ways—whether it’s going out of our way to participate in company events or simply coming to work every day with enthusiasm and a smile. This year, five team members were nominated for the Passion SPORTSDOG Award and we ended up with two winners—Annie Gavett and Jessica Scannapieco.
These two LeagueApps team members were no-brainers for the Passion SPORTSDOG Award for several reasons, but one major reason is their connection to youth sports. Annie worked as a youth sports organizer and soccer coach for more than 10 years before joining LeagueApps. Jess coached college, club, and township lacrosse for over 8 years. Both bring a unique perspective of and passion for youth sports to LeagueApps that we can all learn from.
Passion SPORTSDOG Award Winner: Annie Gavett
Annie has been at LeagueApps for a little over a year and works with the sales and marketing teams. When we asked her teammates to describe her, here’s what they had to say:
“It’s clear from all that she does just how passionate she is about her work. She brings that energy and engagement to everything she does,” says Jamie Hancock.
“Annie’s experience as an organizer shines through as she shares her insights with the entire company, helping all of us make LeagueApps a better product and partner,” says fellow SPORTSDOG winner Bharat Chopra.
“In exemplifying this value last year, Annie is extremely passionate about making the teams she is part of and our overall company better. Her passion is infectious, and she has raised the intelligence of our sales team and our marketing efforts,” says fellow Sales team member Steve Hyland.
Passion SPORTSDOG Award Winner: Jessica Scannapieco
Jess joined LeagueApps in July of 2021 and is a business development representative. Here’s what the LeagueApps team has to say about Jess’s passion for what she does:
“When others may be having a bad day, Jess always brings her A-game and is there to lift others up and carry the extra weight,” says Kelsey Grambeau.
“Jess is one of the most passionate people I have ever met. She is a machine at conventions and client-facing events,” says Paul Cusick.
“Have you seen/heard her cheers? You should hear her cheers,” says Jesse Ehrenzweig.
“The first time I ever met Jess, the two words that came to mind were passionate and confident,” says VP of Sales Nick Hagen.
The passion for youth sports (and girls’ sports, in particular) that both Annie and Jess bring to LeagueApps rubs off on everyone who gets to work with them. It was only fitting that both of them had the opportunity to interview one of their idols, Julie Foudy—the former co-captain of the 1999 Women’s National Soccer Team—about increasing access to sports in underserved communities as well as increasing the visibility of women’s sports on TV. Their excitement, respect, and admiration for Julie was palpable through the screen and got the entire LeagueApps team engaged. You can watch an excerpt from the interview below:
Why Our Team Values Matter
Having annual SPORTSDOG Awards—as well as weekly shoutouts that highlight a team value—allows us to hold ourselves accountable as members of the LeagueApps team and truly live our company values each and every day we go to work. Stay tuned for next month’s SPORTSDOG Award spotlight: the winner of Openness.
Do you think you embody the value of Passion as well as Annie and Jess do? Be sure to take a look at our open positions to find your fit at LeagueApps.