SPOTLIGHT ON VIGNESH
Can you describe the culture at Stanley? What is your favorite part?
Stanley’s culture is one that is inviting, fun-loving and encourages creativity. This motif of “Wild Imagination” really comes to life when surrounded by so many that come to work not just for a paycheck, but to make a real difference in the lives of others. My favorite part about this is that the creative journey isn’t just limited to product managers, designers, developers, and engineers – everyone has an equal role to play in forging what the brand represents, not only to us as employees but to the rest of the world.
What brought you to Stanley? What keeps you here?
I was previously on the east coast in Boston, MA and was looking for a new adventure. I took the opportunity to visit Seattle just before the pandemic, and I fell in love. I fell in love with the mountains, the unbridled access to the outdoors and the overall culture of the area – knowing full well that this would be my home someday. Just a year later, I fell in love a second time, this time with my partner, who decided that her next opportunity would be in Seattle - I knew that following her here was the right call. And then I fell in love a third time with Stanley, a brand that ceremoniously connected my desire to live so close to nature (and my partner 😉) with a commitment to develop product responsibly for the environment, and for consumers alike. What keeps me here, however, are the people. We collectively spend so much time with our coworkers, sometimes more than those we see at home – and to say that I enjoy my time spent creating with these people is a blessing.
How does Stanley give you opportunities to keep pushing yourself, to grow and explore?
Coming from an engineering and consumer electronics background, I didn’t really know what to expect when I first started. In 2021 when I took the reins of categories Bar and Mobility, Storage and Supply (affectionately called MAS2 ), it was easy enough to understand the science and manufacturing methods tied to Double-Wall Vacuum Steel Insulation and Plastic Molding for drinkware. Mobility and Storage, however, was an enigma – what did it even mean? The beauty of that question is that it was one the brand was asking me to answer, pushing me to explore without limits or bounds. Having spent this time exploring the intent of MAS2 and the products within it has been the wildest and most impactful journey of growth to date.
What are you most excited about in your job?
The thing that excites me the most about my job is variety. No two days are the same and there’s always something to do – a design to review, an insight to gather and validate, a product to bring to life. It’s pretty nuts how many steps and people go into taking a product from sketch to production and sale. The level of intention applied at every stage is also something that really excites me. Naming for example – needs so much thought put in to have the consumer recognize, associate and latch onto your product. For MAS2 landing on names that sparked immediate connection to fashion and food & bev culture simultaneously were super important and I think we hit the mark with our Julienne Mini Cooler and Madeleine Midi Backpack, launching in 2024.
Tell us how you’re able to be a creator, builder, or inventor in your role?
If there’s one thing I’ve learned over my (in retrospect very short) time as a Product Manager, it’s that I was born to create and innovate – it’s truly my calling. I’m not sure that many 20-something-year-olds can say that their life revolves around the creative process, to show up every day and think about what could be cool, what technologies would change the way people interact with the world around them, etc. To do this, with a team of all-stars, emphasizes that everyone can be a creator, builder and inventor as long as they have an idea they are willing to bring to life.
What’s your favorite Stanley product? Why?
The Golden Hour Beer Tumbler – what I love most about this product is its connection to Latin American culture via the Copo Americano, as well as the Prismatic™ faceting on the inside. I was wow’ed when I poured a beer inside on a sunny day and immediately saw my ceiling light up in an amber haze.
