Hey,

I've probably already been introduced to you at some point this week by Russell, Joe, or Chad.  You remember -- I was the guy whose friendly smile was marred by a distant look of hopeless resignation, stemming from the sad realization that, try as I might, I would not remember the most of your names.  Some people are blessed with an innate ability to permanently correlate faces and names the very first time they meet someone.  I am not one of those people.  So, I hope you will overlook with polite forbearance my nowhere-near-as-discreet-as-I-think-it-is squinting at your badge the first few times we interact.  This is the same polite forbearance I hope you'll use when trying not to cringe during any singing I may be forced to do Friday should the rumors of karaoke hazing I've heard prove true.  On the bright side, you'll get to hear what it might sound like if an aged camel had to endure a prostate examination while simultaneously having its vocal chords tightened in a vice.

I come to Amazon from an Olympia-based startup company called PowerEscape (which was just recently acquired) where I was the VP of Technical Marketing.  This fancy-sounding and somewhat nonsensical title was supposed to convey the fact that I managed many business concerns while also architecting software, but mostly just caused confusion anytime I handed out my card.  PowerEscape created data efficiency modeling and analysis tools for the embedded electronics market.  If you're wondering what that has to do with power or would like to know anything else about PowerEscape, just track me down and ask.  I've pitched enough customers and investors over the past few years that I can usually get the gist of it across quite rapidly.  If I accidentally hit you up for a few million dollars at the end of my explanation, pay no attention; old habits die hard.

Outside of work, I spend as much time as I can with my kids.  I used to do other things, I think.  I vaguely remember skiing, snowboarding, playing hockey, traveling (for fun that is - I remember business travel quite vividly), camping, eating out, or just watching TV, but fortunately my memories of free time and hobbies have faded to a hazy dream.  My eldest son is four and my youngest is 18 months.  They swept into my life like a tidal wave, instantly washing away free time and sleep while littering the landscape with broken toys, dirty diapers, and projectile vomit.  Oddly, I find I wouldn't have it any other way.  

I'm very excited to be a member of the Community team here at Amazon, and look forward to shaping the future of retail customer experience with you.

Jim