The Apex Years

Twelve seventeen, twenty twenty-one was a difficult day. It was a difficult day because it was my last day at Apex. It was my last day at a place that truly transformed me from the inexperienced college grad, living in my uncle’s basement, to a confident, experienced, mid-thirty-something-professional, with a honed set of skills, eager to find new challenges and opportunities to better himself. It wasn’t always the easiest of journeys, but the best ones never are.

This entry is dedicated to telling the story of those eleven years; from how I found Apex, to how it gave me invaluable experiences, skills, relationships and memories that I’ll carry with me for the rest of my days.

The story is legendary and I can’t do it justice in this format. But, I’ll fill you in on a few of the details. I had just graduated from Purdue University with a degree in Communication. In my job hunt I stumbled up on a “Senior Graphic Designer” position for an unknown company called Apex Energy Solutions. They were in the replacement-window industry (that’s a thing??) which didn’t thrill me at the time. But, what they did have was a really nicely designed website and clear mission to revolutionize an industry. I was intrigued and applied.

The owner, Michael Foit, called me shortly after I submitted my resume to talk about my application, my skills, and what I was looking for in a career. I secured an interview and made it through three grueling rounds of interviews. I was certainly the least qualified for the job, and I was definitely not a senior-level designer (I’m only a few months post graduation, after all). But, I did bring with me a variety of other useful skills, mainly photography and video, that I knew would be beneficial to Apex. I later learned Michael just kept me around because he had a gut feeling (and his gut is usually right). I also like to think he wanted an underdog in the mix to keep things interesting.

After narrowing it down to three candidates, Michael created The Chocolate Challenge: a sample project to showcase our work, given American Idol style, to a panel of judges to help him make his decision. The brief: create the world’s most decadent chocolate and pitch it as if I were presenting to a boutique or retailer in the hopes they carry the line of cocoa perfection in their store. I had one week…

I’ll save the rest of the story for another time. But, needless to say, I nailed the audition. Absolutely crushed it. I got offered the job later that night and the rest is, as they say, history.

October of 2010 seems like both yesterday, and a thousand years ago. I was just a young kid, both excited and terrified at starting my post-college career. I remember getting a call from Michael a few days before my official start date. He asked me if I would want to meet him out at a house in Geist where they were grabbing some pick-up shots for video project — told me to bring my camera. I grabbed my bag and took off for what would be the start of an adventure I could have never imagined. Looking back at that first bit of Apex work is a bit cringeworthy now. I was experimenting with HDR photography at the time (hehe) and I setup my tripod and took several exposures of what was the nicest home I’d ever seen before. This was my first gig photographing a home and I was happy with how it came out at the time. I would later take an architectural photography course from one of the best in the biz (Mike Kelley), and I like to think my work in this category has improved. But, like any new skill, you’ve gotta start somewhere and I was just getting warmed up.

It was a 1920’s-built farmhouse that Michael completely transformed into the Apex HQ. It went through a few rounds of renovations, but the most notable was our 2011 addition where we nearly doubled the size. The improvements were all done to LEED specifications; making it an ultra-efficient, environmentally-friendly building that showcased our replacement window system and other “green” building products. It was fitting that our office was in a converted house because that building truly became my second home for the next decade. And, it’s a good thing it was comfortable as I definitely pulled a few all-nighters and took my share of power naps on the floor as we grew the Apex business by 5x, developed ground-breaking software, started a technology company, and left an undeniable impact on the industry. Yep, we did some truly amazing work out of that space.

It didn’t take long for me to dig in on work at Apex. My background in photography and video were put to use immediately. We doubled-down on our video work, creating a lot of internal videos for training and recruiting. I began seeking out and photographing promotional homes for use in our upcoming Insignia product literature, The Portfolio; a project that would take almost a year to complete. But, it was my design skills (and brief stint in engineering) that would guide me in an unexpected direction.

When I joined Apex, I knew they were pioneering the use of interactive media presentations in the home, and were starting to work on a canvassing application. What I didn’t know is how the evolution of those projects would lead me into completely uncharted territory working on UI/UX design for revolutionary and cinematic sales presentations, a best-in-class website refresh, ground-breaking augmented reality product visualizations, and a patented CRM tool called LOUPE. Of course, none of these projects wouldn’t have been possible without visionary leadership and a team of passionate people working tirelessly to make an impact.

I had the privilege of helping to plan, coordinate and attend several events for Apex. These were a ton of work to put on, but left me with some of the most lasting memories. The first Apex event, The Forum, was held at the Waldorf Astoria in Orlando. It was an Apple-style keynote event where we released new tools and cast a vision for the future at Apex. It was also the first opportunity for our national team to all gather in the same place; sharing ideas and experiences with one another. We continued this tradition with our Apex Summit at the historic Tivoli theater in Spencer, Indiana where we launched our Franchise concept, and teased some major tech updates. The following year we traveled to Napa Valley, California for our PEAK Retreat were we unveiled our Apex Story Pop-Up Book App. Next up was Loupepalooza in 2017, where we launched LOUPE 2.0, a complete reboot of our patented CRM tool, held here in the ‘circle” city. I also had the chance to attend a few events as a representative of Apex. From the Inc. 5000 awards gala in San Antonio, to the International Franchise Expo in New York City, where I designed an interactive booth to educate show-goers about the Apex Opportunity. These events took me to some amazing places across the country and I’m so grateful for these experiences.

Apex took me to so many amazing places across the country, and beyond. Places I may have never traveled to otherwise. As Apex expanded across America, I had the chance to visit many of our offices and the wonderful cities they service. I also had the chance to travel to Europe to attend Fensterabau, the world’s largest fenestration show and got to explore the food, art and culture of Nuremberg and Vienna. Apex also afforded me the opportunity to travel personally and it became one of the hobbies I enjoy the most. You can check out some of my travel photography here, but I’ve included a few Apex-related snapshots at a few of the incredible places I had the chance to visit along the way.

Over the last decade, I have taught myself many new skills and mastered existing ones. But, my growth goes beyond what I have accomplished at work. Apex was an organization that believed in bettering yourself, both professionally and personally. And boy have I seen a lot of personal growth over the years. During my tenure, I got my first apartment, leased my first new car, met my future wife (Cammi), got engaged (finally), got married, bought a house, traveled the country, and even became an uncle. I’m certain that 24-year-old Bram could have never dreamed of the journey he was about to embark on when he earned the position at Apex. But, he and I have one major thing in common: an unbelievable excitement for the new opportunities that lie ahead.

I’ve done a lot of amazing work and seen some awesome places during my time at Apex. But, nothing will compare to the relationship I’ve made along the way. It’s been a privilege to work alongside some extremely talented individuals. And, not only did we do great work together, but we did life together. While there are so many wonderful people who’ve left an impact on me that I will cherish forever, I have to call out one individual. The one who started it all: Michael Foit. If it weren’t for his willingness to take a leap of faith on his idea, his relentless work-ethic to turn that idea into a reality, and a clear vision on where to go next, Apex would be nothing more than that: an idea. And, if it weren’t for him taking a risk on me all those years ago, I wouldn’t’ be saying these words today.

I don’t know what the future holds; and I kind of like it that way. I’ve spent the last few months reflecting on the past, enjoying some much needed family time, learning new skills, and doing a bit of soul searching for my next move. In this new chapter of my life, I’m going to be ultra-critical of the work I say yes to, and, just as importantly, the work I turn away. I want to seek out projects that I am not only passionate about, but also those where I can truly make an impact. I’m hopeful to partner with small and growing businesses where I find an alignment of core values, and collaborate on work that moves the mission forward.

I can’t wait to look back in another 10 years and see the amazing new work I’ve done, and the incredible people and places I’ve encountered along the way. I’m grateful for all the love and guidance of family and friends, and most importantly my wonderful wife, Cammi. I truly couldn’t have made this decision without their support. Here’s to the BRAM years!

The Apex Years

The Prologue

The Chocolate Challenge

The Early Days

The Living Showroom was a special place.

The Projects

The Events

The Travel

The Personal Growth

The People

Michael, thank you for all the years of mentorship, friendship, laughter and tears. Thank you for always pushing me to be better in whatever I’m doing. And thank you for giving me the confidence to truly believe that what can be conceived can be created.

The Future