To honor this incredible journey, we gathered the whole company at Buffalo Wild Wings for a <\/span>Wild West\u2013themed celebration<\/b> and brought together colleagues, friends, and partners for an evening of reflection, recognition, and pure fun.<\/span><\/p>\n To kick off the program, our CTO, Mark Walbaum, officially opened the event by sharing reflections on how far we\u2019ve come and expressing gratitude for the people who have made it possible. We also received a special message from Ben Cilia, Chief Data Officer of Quantbot Technologies, adding another layer of inspiration to the evening.<\/span><\/p>\n In true Phitopolis fashion, we took a moment to shine the spotlight on individuals and teams who have made a significant impact over the past month. Recognizing and celebrating each other\u2019s contributions remains at the heart of our culture, a tradition that continues to strengthen our bonds.<\/span><\/p>\n Before diving into dinner, everyone gathered for a group photo, capturing the spirit of togetherness that defines Phitopolis. We also had a photobooth corner, giving everyone a <\/span>chance to capture the moment and take home a fun souvenir.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n A Feast Fit for a Cowboy<\/b><\/p>\n As plates filled and glasses clinked, the room buzzed with conversation and laughter. This year\u2019s menu was full and hearty, which fueled us for the games and activities ahead.<\/span><\/p>\n Buffalo Wild Wings delivered the goods\u2014plates of wings, tacos, pastas, and hearty bites that kept everyone fueled for the games ahead. Between bites, conversations flowed with ease, filled with stories, laughter, and a few lighthearted debates about which food on the menu was the best.<\/span><\/p>\n Games That Had Us Hollerin\u2019<\/b><\/p>\n We kicked off with <\/span>\u201cWho Said It? \u201d<\/b>, a hilarious game where employees guessed which colleague was behind memorable quotes from Slack, meetings, and team banter. Laughter echoed as we revisited a collection of one-liners that remained truly unforgettable.<\/span><\/p>\n Next came the <\/span>Company Timeline Challenge<\/b>, testing everyone\u2019s knowledge of our history. Teams pieced together milestones in the right order, from Phitopolis\u2019s incorporation with just a few people to now occupying an entire office floor to support our growing team.. It was part memory test, part friendly competition, and 100% fun.<\/span><\/p>\n The final challenge was <\/span>\u201cGuess That Song,\u201d<\/b> a musical showdown where snippets of lyrics had players racing to name the song and artist. From throwback classics to modern hits, the game proved that our team\u2019s playlist knowledge is as diverse as it is impressive.<\/span><\/p>\n As the evening drew to a close, our CTO, <\/span>Mark Walbaum<\/b>, gave a heartfelt closing remark, thanking everyone for their dedication and passion over the years.<\/span><\/p>\n This 6th anniversary was more than a party; it was a celebration of the journey we\u2019ve taken together and the exciting road ahead. To everyone who has been part of our story so far: <\/span>thank you for making Phitopolis the spirited, trailblazing community it is today<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n Here\u2019s to new frontiers, stronger bonds, and bigger dreams.<\/span> This year, Phitopolis saddled up and rode into a new frontier, celebrating six remarkable years of growth, innovation, and camaraderie. From our humble beginnings to the thriving, tight-knit community we are today, these six years have been filled with challenges<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[5,23],"tags":[42,31,18],"ppma_author":[105,104],"authors":[{"term_id":105,"user_id":0,"is_guest":1,"slug":"kobbie-manrique","display_name":"Kobbie Manrique","avatar_url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&r=g","author_category":"","first_name":"","last_name":"","user_url":"","job_title":"","description":""},{"term_id":104,"user_id":0,"is_guest":1,"slug":"josua-costibolo","display_name":"Josua Costibolo","avatar_url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&r=g","author_category":"","first_name":"","last_name":"","user_url":"","job_title":"","description":""}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/phitopolis.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/624"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/phitopolis.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/phitopolis.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/phitopolis.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/phitopolis.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=624"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/phitopolis.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/624\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":626,"href":"https:\/\/phitopolis.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/624\/revisions\/626"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/phitopolis.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=624"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/phitopolis.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=624"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/phitopolis.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=624"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/phitopolis.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=624"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nSetting the Scene<\/b><\/h3>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/phitopolis.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Screenshot-2025-08-20-083451.png\")
<\/p>\n
\nSpotlight on Our Stars<\/b><\/h3>\n
\nCapturing the Moment<\/b><\/h3>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/phitopolis.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Untitled-design-10-682x1024.png\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/phitopolis.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/42a0de2d-e49e-44f4-83e4-2f159ed7852f.png\")
<\/p>\n
\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/phitopolis.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/fdb10fa5-93ef-4157-b656-1ab641adf7f4.png\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/phitopolis.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/3029999c-3cc5-4a42-8e66-c1d181babbc3.png\")
<\/p>\n
\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/phitopolis.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/cc100c93-f4c9-43f0-92bc-a9a0a401cc71.png\")
<\/p>\n
\nRiding off into the Sunset<\/b><\/h3>\n
\n<\/span>Happy 6th Anniversary, Phitopolis!<\/b> \ud83e\udd20\ud83c\udf89<\/span><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/phitopolis.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/a0a499d4-3f45-4bd7-9db5-870f125ffc91.jpg\")
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"