Reflections on 2022
As we celebrated Pupfish’s second birthday in October, I found myself suddenly thinking of the phrase “terrible twos.” Any parent or guardian will of course be intimately familiar with the meaning of this phrase – a time in child development that is often marked by frustration, temper tantrums, and the proliferation of the word “no.” But it’s also a time of immense development and growth, a time when a child – or in our case, a company – is beginning to truly develop their own sense of identity, of the world around them and how they interact with it. Now, as I reflect on our second year of business, I can’t help but think that rather than terrible, Pupfish’s “twos” have been terrific.
After a rigorous 9-month certification process, Pupfish became a Certified B Corporation, joining the ranks of more than 5,000 companies worldwide that are committed to using business as a force for global good. We proudly received NAID AAA Certification through iSigma, signifying our adherence to the highest possible standards of security and ethics in the data destruction industry. Most recently, we expanded upon our data destruction offerings with the addition of a FlashEx SSD & Flash Memory Shredder. Pupfish is committed to continually improving our operations to offer industry-leading data destruction to companies, non-profits, and individuals, and in 2022 we expanded our clientele to include public and private schools on Long Island and across New York State. We were privileged to attend the First Annual RIC Conference in Albany addressing the issues of K12 data security, and I was pleased to take part as a panelist in the Powerhouse Team discussion on Understanding NYS Ed Law 2D to Protect Student Data.
Team Pupfish participated in the 2022 Paddle Battle LI Corporate Challenge to benefit the NY Marine Rescue Center (where our dedicated team took first place for the second year in a row), as well as the Maggie Fischer Memorial Great South Bay Cross Bay Swim. We partnered with the Longwood Library to offer free plants and education at their Earth Day Everyday celebration, as well as a free community e-recycling event. Pupfish gave back to the local community by sponsoring the 2022 Smithtown Historical Society Heritage Festival and, most recently, by sponsoring local children’s holiday wishes through the non-profit organization, Christmas Magic.
It is not possible to conclude my reflections on the past year without mentioning the tragic loss of our colleague and friend, Michael Fuentes, who was involved in a fatal automobile accident in April. Michael was a great guy, who lit up the office with his positive attitude, his infectious sense of humor, and his ever-present smile. He is greatly missed by all of us, and he will forever be a member of Team Pupfish.
Finally, Pupfish Sustainability Solutions is proud to announce that we have kept over 56,000 pounds of toxic waste out of our landfills to date. Let me close by saying: thank you. To everyone who called Team Pupfish for a pickup, from Long Island to NYC to New Jersey to Connecticut – thank you for your commitment to data security, to sustainability, to doing things the right way for a better tomorrow. You are the reason that we push ourselves to be better as a team and as a business.
Here's to our second year of business – our tenacious, transformative, terrific, thankful twos – and here’s to continued growth in 2023!
