You pass them in the halls, see their faces on Teams calls, and exchange emails. You know their job title and department and might even know their extension by heart. But do you truly know who you’re working with? Get to know Eddie Rivera, our Senior Marketing Associate and Tandym’s Employee of the Month for July 2024!

Who are you?

I was born in Manhattan and raised in the Bronx by mom & stepdad – along with my two younger siblings (a sister & brother). My mom and stepdad were medical professionals and worked a lot, so I spent most of my time being raised by grandparents and aunt. I actually didn’t really start speaking English regularly until I was about 5 or 6 years old. Once I learned it, I pretty much never stopped talking (as most of you may know) and, as a result, kind of lost my Spanish fluency over time. When I was 13, my parents wanted to get my siblings and I out of the Bronx neighborhood we lived in, so we moved to Pelham Manor in Westchester County. What I thought was the worst thing to ever happen to me ended up being the best. I met some of my lifelong friends and my eyes were opened to all the new opportunities available to me. I ended up going to SUNY Albany (Go Danes!) and graduating with a degree in English and a minor in Journalism. I currently live in Port Chester, NY (aka PoCho) and enjoy spending my free time hanging with friends, cooking for family / friends, annoying my niece, trying new restaurants, and hopelessly rooting for my beloved New York Yankees, New York Jets, and Sacramento Kings.

If you were going to cook for Byrne, Tandym’s CEO, what would you serve and why?

[Chuckles and stumbles over his words…] I grew up watching a lot of cooking shows. My specialty is Italian because my family mostly cooks Latino food, specifically Puerto Rican. My fan favorites are my lasagna and my drunken stuffed meatballs (mozzarella & ricotta in the center & simmered in vodka sauce). Is Byrne even a meat guy? I see him eating more on the healthier side, so I guess I’d make some turkey meatballs and a ground chicken lasagna. Sheesh, I hope I still have a job after this.

Did you find Tandym or did Tandym find you?

Tandym found me! My mom got me a job out of college at the company she was working for at the time, Visiting Nurse Services of NY. I had a contractor position and they wanted to hire me full time but to primarily speak Spanish to clients and patients. My current Spanish is mildly conversational, but I would’ve been dealing with people with medical issues and did not want to misrepresent or fumble any serious issues, so I turned down the job. My parents were not happy with me at all. After a few days of listening to depressing sighs from my mother and getting the stink-eye from my stepfather, I randomly got a call from the HR team at The Execu|Search Group. They found my “cover letter” on Monster and wanted me to come in for an interview for a contract Copy Writer position. Funny thing is that I wrote the cover letter as a joke to appease my parents. I didn’t think anything would come of it, so I wrote it as if I was Liam Neeson from “Taken”. And low and behold, it actually worked, and I got the job! I interviewed with the former CEO and CMO of the company and they offered me a 2-day-a-week position (Tuesdays and Thursdays). Three months later, they hired me full-time and the rest is history. You know, I actually think that cover letter is still floating around the internet still.

What’s your process for turning a bad day into a good one?

A quick walk, honestly. It helps me clear my head and reassess situations. Sometimes, a quick walk and a slice of pizza on the way back to my desk can solve everything. It’s the equivalent of when you simulate an argument while you’re in the shower: it’s therapeutic and you always win! But if that doesn’t help, I’ll usually gallivant on over to John Carey, Julie Kirsch, or Adam Bottorff’s desk to chat or give Lisa Drew, Matt Dolan, or Crystal Quinn a call. They always laugh at my jokes (good or bad), so that helps!

If you can go on vacation with any ELT member, who would that be and why?

I think everyone would assume I would say Len Lombardo and that’s not a bad assumption. Len and I get along very well. We hang after work every so often, were buddy-buddy all throughout Chairman’s Circle a few months ago, and I met up with him when we were both on vacation on the Jersey Shore. We hung out at a Tiki Bar for like 3 hours watching sports and listening to live music. A dark horse would be Jill Bragg though. I’ve known Jill for 12 years. We are good buddies in the office, live close to one another, and text often about shows / movies. However, I’ve never hung out with her in a social setting that wasn’t directly correlated to work. I’d like to see if she’s as fun as she claims she is.

Describe one of your favorite work memories

Hmmm, you’re going to have to give me a second so I can think of an appropriate one. Honestly, one of the best times that lives rent free in my head was at Chairman’s Puerto Rico in 2020.  I was baffled that I was even selected to go – being included was great in itself. When I got out there and started to talk to everyone, I was shocked how many people knew me and how much we had in common. I organized a night out on Friday since it was “do your own dinner” night, at this place called La Factoria. (Fun fact: La Factoria is one of “the world’s 50 Best Bars”). I didn’t think anyone would show up and over 50 people and their plus ones came after their respective dinners. We commandeered an entire room and dance floor at the bar. It was an absolute giant dance party. I actually still have a few songs from that night on my playlist. Anytime they come on the shuffle, I smile, look off into the distance, and one single tear runs down my cheek. Crazy part about that trip was that the world literally shut down 6 days later.

Tell me a fact that most people don’t know about you

This is going to come as a shock to most, but not all: my nickname isn’t Eddie. In fact, the only place I go by Eddie is within the confines of Tandym. My full name is Edward Rivera Jr and since I was a little chubling of a child I’ve always gone by EJ. I didn’t tell people here because: 1.) I was a bit of a wild boy in my younger years and didn’t want anyone finding me on social media; 2.) my older boss asked if she could call me Eddie instead of “Edward” or “Ed” since that was the name of our old CEO; and, 3.) because I truly only thought I’d be here for the 3-month contract that was originally assigned to me. When they converted me to a full-time employee, I had already become friends with everyone in the office and I thought it’d be weird / creepy if I just went up to people and said something along the lines of, “Hey, the name’s EJ from now.” I didn’t want to end up being a Steven Glansberg and eating lunch by myself for the foreseeable future. Some Tandym folks that I’m good buddies with outside of work call me EJ. I’m beyond used to it already, but it’s funny when I invite my friends to join a happy hour and they hear people call me Eddie. Their faces always look baffled.

List three items on your bucket list

I really want to go to Japan at some point in my life. I hear Tokyo is absolutely lovely, clean and, of course, I’m a big fan of sushi and all Japanese cuisine. I’d also want to try skydiving. Here’s the thing: I just got over my fear of flying compliments of the turbulence to and from Chairman’s Circle in April. I’m definitely going to have to build up the courage for that one, but I’ll do it within the next decade. And last, before I die, I’d like to try standup comedy. I’ve had these journal / notebooks that I’ve kept on my nightstand since maybe 2010. Any time I think of a funny line, idea, or concept, I write it down in the book. Even if I’m out and about, I’ll email the idea to myself and write in my book when I get home. I honestly might be more afraid to do that than skydiving, but definitely want to try it.

What animal do you believe most closely matches your personality and why?

That would be a fox and that’s because I’ve always liked foxes. They’re small, but agile. They’re clever and sly and move with such ease and grace. They’re not feared, but you should be cautious around them. Not that I want to be feared or anything, but I like that about them.  Oh, and they might look cute and cuddly, but don’t pick them. So ultimately, please don’t try to pick me up after reading this.

If you were to write a memoir about your life, what would you title it?

Ummmm…. (long pause…) “Hawaiian Punch & Bagel Bites: A Rivera Novella”. That was my #1 snack growing up.  My friends still make fun of me on how much Hawaiian Punch I drank.  And who doesn’t like bagel bites?