We recently talked with our new employee, Alex Renner, to ask him a few questions and learn more about him!
Question: What is your job title at OMI?
Answer: Culture Coordinator
Q: Where did you attend college and what did you study?
A: I attended Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington, IL, and I majored in psychology with a minor in exercise science.
Q: Where are you from, and where are you working from?
A: I am originally from Bloomington, IL and I am still currently living there.
Q: What drew you to OMI when you were looking for jobs?
A: I was on the SHIELD team for a couple of years during COVID working in organizational development. When that position ended, I kept looking for roles at the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign because my experience with the university had been really good. I previously worked with Cass from OMI’s operations team at system HR, and she thought I would be a good fit for the role. The interview with OMI felt like we were just talking, which was very nice. Once the position got approved, it was a quick process and an easy decision for me.
Q: How does your college coursework relate to your job?
A: In college, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do. On a whim, I picked psychology as my major because it interested me, and I found that I loved it. My original path was sports psychology, but I found an HR-related position at SHIELD and decided to go that route. Eventually, I may get a master’s degree. Working with people was the biggest thing that was transferable from the psychology degree, but no degree can fully prepare you for working in the real world. Understanding humans through psychology and knowing how to go with the flow is helpful. When I was graduating college, I was scared and wondering, “What am I going to do? What path am I going to follow?” But it seems to be working out so far. I still don’t know what I want to do when I grow up!
Q: What are your thoughts about working remotely?
A: Some of my friends have asked me this because they’re jealous that I work remotely. I love some aspects of it, but it’s harder to turn off “work mode” when you are working from home. It’s easy to check emails or do a task quickly during non-work hours. I strongly prefer remote work to going to an office, but it does have its pros and cons. It’s nice that during a break I can get a snack, switch my laundry, and things like that.
Q: What’s been your favorite part of working at OMI so far?
A: The people! Everyone here wants to be here, and everyone is lovely. I haven’t found anyone difficult to work with. Everyone is passionate about what they do and ready to go, which is refreshing.
Q: How does this job compare to other jobs you’ve held in the past?
A: One of the big things that drew me here was helping people. I hadn’t been a part of something that was directly making a difference in people’s lives. With SHIELD, we were able to do that with COVID testing, and I can do that with OMI too. If I’m stressed with work, I still know that at the end of the day, I’m doing something good.
Q: What does a typical day at OMI look like for you?
A: I start around 8:00 AM. Throughout the day, I check and send emails, attend various meetings, and touch base with teams. A lot of it can change on a dime if different priorities come up. I have to be pretty fluid on a daily basis to keep up with any change in plans.
Q: What do you like to do in your free time?
A: I spend a lot of time with my cat, Turtle. I enjoy powerlifting, and I’m kind of a gym bro. I spend a lot of time with my girlfriend, and we like playing video games together. Right now, we are playing a lot of League of Legends together and Baldur’s Gate 3, but it changes depending on what our friends are playing at the time.
Q: Fun fact?
A: My dad just adopted two German shepherd puppies and I’ve been spending a lot of time with them!
