Decades ago, a Duarte employee wanted to appreciate a co-worker who’d gone above and beyond the call of duty. She asked if she could start a program to give public “thanks,” to recognize others who did something great. She bought a small wooden giraffe that sat on the edge of a desk, and we began to pass giraffes at each staff meeting, paying it forward.
“At one of our Creative First Thursday events, we gave our giraffes makeovers. Purple glittery tux? Yes please!” – Diandra Macias, Creative Director
The kind gesture stuck and now we have hundreds around the office. In 2014, the giraffe became the official Duarte mascot and we re-named the recognition program Giraffirmations. We have mugs, t-shirts and even 10-foot tall giraffes around. When someone does something with a lot of heart (think: selfless, beautiful, heroic, problem-solving, strategic, innovative, or customer-centric), anyone can bestow upon anyone a giraffe. The recipient eventually pays it forward by re-gifting their giraffe when they observe behavior worthy of recognition.
Each individual giraffe has a unique coat pattern. We’re all unique and value each other’s differences.
One thing we have learned about giraffes, is that they have massive hearts. Measuring about 2 feet long and weighing more than 25 pounds—giraffes’ hearts are significantly larger than other mammals.
We have that in common with giraffes. At Duarte, we’re all about heart. We know that presentations that move and motivate audiences speak not only to people’s minds, but directly to their hearts. That’s why we believe that the best presentations make you feel something big that audiences will always remember.
Whether we’re helping a co-worker late at night on a tight deadline, or going the extra mile to deliver a high-quality product to our customers, we strive to keep heart at the forefront of everything we do at Duarte.
