Taking beer breaks, playing foosball and strutting throughout the office in pajamas isn’t usually part of a typical day on the job for most. But for one Ohio University alumna, it’s just another day in the office.
Courtney Walker, who graduated in 2010 with a degree in public relations, works at Red Frog Events, a Chicago-based event-planning company that offers an atmosphere some would compare to OU’s campus.
After graduating, Walker became a Red Frog intern, which offered her event-coordinating experience and a non-traditional work environment.
At first glance, the Red Frog office resembles more of a playground for adults than an ordinary office space equipped with cubicles, file cabinets and water coolers.
“It’s unlike anywhere you’re ever going to work,” Walker said.
Throughout the day, Red Frog employees make their way across the office on zip lines, meet at tables made of Legos, or kick back at the office bar with a complimentary Red Bull or beer. They also have Wii breaks, dodgeball games and volunteer days.
The staff is in charge of coordinating three major events throughout the country each year.
“Every day I come into work, I know I’m going to have fun,” said Jena Sprau, one of Red Frog’s event coordinators.
The company received awards such as the Chicago Innovation Award and placement on the Chicago’s Top Work Places 2011 list in the Chicago Tribune for its efforts to transform the work environment.
And for OU students who are in the same spot Walker was several years ago, the atmosphere of Red Frog is appealing.
“The work environment seems like the environment here at OU,” said Heather Farr, a senior studying public relations.
Rather than saving all the fun for its employees, Red Frog ensures its clients can get in on the action as well.
The company has organized three major obstacle-course races during the past four years, including the Warrior Dash, the Beach Palooza and the Great Urban Race.
Each race provides varying experiences for runners ages 14 and older — from trekking through sand to beating the clock at Beach Palooza or cycling through the city for clues that led to the finish line of the Great Urban Race.
Red Frog also organizes a holiday bar crawl in Washington, D.C., where participators can enjoy discounted drinks at bars in town while dressed in festive costumes ranging from candy canes to Christmas elves.
“It’s the equivalent of an Athens bar shuffle,” Walker said.
As a former account executive and supervisor at OU’s ImPRessions, Walker said her time at OU prepared her for working at Red Frog.
“We play hard,” Walker said, “but we work hard, too.”
hm156809@ohiou.edu
