Meet Sabrina Johnson, Software Engineer Manager at Cox Automotive — a woman who has a knack for the arts and an appreciation of people. See how her small town upbringing has given her a simpler perspective on life, and how Cox allows her to incorporate this into her management style.
By Sabrina Johnson
I’ve never been too much of a city girl.
Braselton, Georgia has been my home for 13 years. It’s quiet. Serene. Wine country. It is definitely more my speed. This quaint town is about 45 miles outside of the bustling city of Atlanta. My commute to work is long, but I love where I live.
Autotrader, a Cox Automotive company, hired me in 2008 and I eventually assumed the position as a Senior User Interface Engineer. I led the Search Evolution Project, which was huge at the time.
The functionality of the project was to add filters to our Autotrader search results page and helping redesign the search funnel. It was a fast-paced environment that required a lot of time and focus.
Now I am a multi-discipline manager, a single mom, and an artist.
As a multi-discipline manager, my passion lies in making people feel valued. To me that is the most important duty as a manager to remind people that they matter to me. It was a time when the team was working on a ton of projects and team morale was low. The monotony of the work wasn’t fun for them and I wanted to give them a break and show my appreciation. That’s why I orchestrated a floor-wide Autotrader Olympics. We kicked it off with pizza and participated in events like, “office chair curling” and the “long jump.” We had a blast.
When contractors are converted to employees, I throw each of them their own dessert party because it’s a big deal to be a part of the Autotrader family! Every new employee should know they’re special. We want to let them know they are a part of the family now. Because that’s what this is, it’s family.
As a single mom, my life has a lot of moving parts to it. Yet, Cox Automotive lets life happen. On mornings where I need to avoid traffic by working from home, it’s no problem. If I need to go to a school function for my two kids, no questions asked. I know that my job supports me in the important things and I make sure to offer the same flexibility to my direct reports.
As an artist, I express myself through painting. Working at Cox, I can continue my love for the arts. Recently, I entered a plein air painting competition in Duluth. It was an entire weekend of painting and then the art was displayed and judged at the end of it all. My children and I also just traveled to Europe, where I got new inspiration for my paintings.
My adventure was not a burden to the company, it was encouraged.
When I think of my small town in Braselton, I think of home. I get to take a step back to enjoy what matters in life, without the noise. Without the hustle and bustle.
When I think of Cox Automotive, I think of family. Cox Automotive allows this same luxury, to value the important things in life without the noise and without the hustle and bustle. There is something special about a large company with a small feel and there’s something even more special about the people within it.
Special thanks to Sabrina for sharing her story! If you would like to build a career in technology with a promising balance of work-life and family, learn moreabout current opportunities with Cox Automotive.
The 2019 Cox Summer Social was sizzling this year as we got a crash course in esports and welcomed players, the head coach, costumed fans and the general manager from the Atlanta Reign.
Our President and CEO Alex Taylor kicked off the Cox Summer Social with the introduction of our special guests the Overwatch League’s Atlanta Reign team, our company’s most recent investment. He shared how the team came about and admitted that he wasn’t sold initially on the idea of people watching other people play video games. But the more he learned about it, the more convinced he became that esports was on its way to becoming a booming industry. In fact, esports are predicted to have more viewers than every professional sports league but the NFL by 2021 — surpassing the MLB, NBA, NHL and MLS.
An Esports Overview
Soe Gschwind-Penski, a commentator, host and international celebrity in the gaming community, provided a quick overview of esports before hosting a brief discussion with our Chief Financial Officer Dallas Clement and our special guest, the President and CEO of Atlanta Esports Ventures Paul Hamilton. The discussion was about the journey of owning and operating our first esports team and our partnership with Province Inc. to form Atlanta Esports Ventures.
Raving Fans
Our event was decked out with vintage arcade games, while employees enjoyed ice cream on the outdoor lawn and more games under the tent. While others scored some free swag items, souvenirs and peeked inside the Atlanta Reign’s official team van. Fans also got a chance to meet Atlanta Reign players Babybay, Kodak and Gator, head coach Brad Rajani, and take pictures with cosplayers (costumed characters) from the Overwatch game.
We couldn’t be more thrilled to kick off the summer in a big way for our employees and learn and celebrate our newest investments together.
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