Today we’d like to introduce you to Sarah Morin.
Sarah, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I stumbled into CIC after years of working with a Cambridge non-profit. I was the Director of Programs and Volunteer Services and my choice was to stay as the Executive Director or move on to a new challenge. I saw a job posting for a Relationship Manager at CIC and it resonated strongly enough that I felt compelled to check it out. After a lengthy interview process where I had the opportunity to grill Tim Rowe, CIC’s founder and CEO, on just how mission-driven CIC really was, I was convinced and accepted an offer to join the team. That was 4 and half years ago. CIC has seen immense growth, tripling in size since I started. It was due to this growth, and some serious hard work, that I was promoted into several positions including Director of Sales, before taking on my current role as CIC Cambridge and CIC Boston’s first General Manager.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Looking back, the path here feels like it was smooth, but not easy. I’ve always been drawn to challenges, and CIC has provided me no shortage of them. That’s why I enjoy my work so much. There was a point where I was a sales manager and had volunteered to simultaneously cover for an operations team manager who was out on maternity leave with twins for 4-6 months. I wanted to gain exposure to another side of the business and felt like I could do both roles, at least for a little while. Soon after starting I found out my boss was going to be out for two months as well and I’d need to cover for him, and then the maternity leave got extended. I was trying to do three jobs at once and felt like I was doing none of them well. In the end, it taught me a ton about time management and prioritizing, but most importantly about letting go and work/life balance.
Please tell us about CIC – Cambridge Innovation Center.
I feel extremely lucky to be in a position where when I’m asked what my company does, I’m not sure how to answer for fear of sounding like I’m selling something. The lofty, and true version, is that CIC aims to help the best entrepreneurial minds solve the world’s biggest problems faster. We believe, as do our sister organizations like the Venture Cafe Foundation, that innovation is the best way to address the pressing issues of our time. We do this in a number of ways, but the foundation of our business is to create space that supports innovation, collaboration, and access to smart like-minded people via high density work environments and programming. Over 4.4 billion dollars has been invested at companies housed at CIC, and there are currently over 950 companies who call CIC home in Massachusetts. Our community and how we support them, is what makes us so different from other shared workspace companies.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
Oh boy. Science says we’re more prone to remember the negative memories! You can probably guess my middle school years weren’t terribly exciting if I tell you my favorite memory from middle school was winning the academic award in every subject during 8th grade graduation.
Contact Info:
- Address: 50 Milk St., Boston
1 Broadway, Cambridge - Website: cic.us
- Phone: 617-514-7300
- Email: space-boston@cic.us
Getting in touch: BostonVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
Carol Schoch
July 18, 2017 at 2:30 pm
Great Story! Anyone fortunate enough to know Sarah will benefit greatly by that relationship.