Meet the Cisco Store Team
-
By
Gabriella Tedesco
- 14 May 2020
On the Cisco Store program team, we like to describe ourselves as a start-up within Cisco. This startup mentality has allowed us to embrace and drive change within the program and continuously innovate to create the best experience for Cisco customers and employees. What was once a team of two has more than doubled in size in the last year, expanding into a small but mighty team of five. This team works tirelessly to bring Cisco and partner technology to life in our real, functioning retail environment, that also sells some pretty awesome branded merchandise. We are responsible for creating a brand experience for Cisco employees, customers and partners, from the physical stores in San Jose and RTP, to the online channel and Cisco Live and other events.
Allow us to introduce ourselves…
Rachael Weiss
Where are you from?
East Syracuse, NY
What do you enjoy doing outside of work?
Peloton, Interior Design, Gardening, Watching TV, Doing creative projects with my kids
How long have you been at Cisco?
Almost 5 years
Cisco Store job title and role description
Global Program Manager, Cisco Stores (and Custom Merchandise)
What do you enjoy about working with the Cisco Store program?
It’s a retail startup inside of Cisco. Beyond creating cool Cisco merchandise, we also use Cisco technology to enable an amazing retail experience for our shoppers and associates.
What Cisco Store project are you most proud of right now?
Connected Cisco Store and the new AR tool we are developing to allow for a deeper understanding of all the technology in-store
If you could describe the Cisco Store in one word, what would it be and why?
Dynamic. We are ever changing and always making progress. The team is also full of positive energy and always has new ideas.
What is your best memory from working on the Cisco Store program team?
Cisco Live San Diego 2019 where the Cisco Store was featured in the Technology Keynote given by Todd Nightingale and David Goeckeler.
What are your top 3 favorite Cisco Store products?
Fidel Vasquez III
Where are you from?
Chicago, Illinois – Southside of Chicago if you want to get specific!
What do you enjoy doing outside of work?
Taking pictures, working out and eating good food, cooking good food, enjoy a good beer, hanging with friends and traveling
How long have you been at Cisco?
It will be one year on 5/10/2020
Cisco Store job title and role description
Project Manager, Cisco Store: in charge of the channel operations for the Cisco Store
What do you enjoy about working with the Cisco Store program?
I enjoy the fact that on our team we get to wear many hats, we’re always working on something new and exciting. This is also funny because I wear a lot of hats…literally
What Cisco Store project are you most proud of right now?
RTP Remodel, it was great to see that store transform like it did. It was a crazy process but a fun one.
If you could describe the Cisco Store in one word, what would it be and why?
Innovative: we are always trying to push the boundaries of what retail experiences could be instead of showing what it looks like with tech now.
What is your best memory from working on the Cisco Store program team?
I think so far it’s been the two travel stores we’ve done, at Cisco Live US 2019 and Cisco Live Europe 2020. It’s fun to see the store come to life over the week.
What are your top 3 favorite Cisco Store products?
Any of my Cisco hats(shocker!)
Duncan Pen (sucker for a good pen)
Bridge Tines T-Shirt (cool design)…Runner up is probably my Thermolite jacket.
Kaleigh Bisconti
Where are you from?
Born in Boston, MA
What do you enjoy doing outside of work?
Being active and outside, trying new Boba places, grabbing a really good Matcha latte
How long have you been at Cisco?
1 year
Cisco Store job title and role description
Project Manager, Digital Strategy- I oversee our digital channels including ecommerce and social, look for new ways to improve the digital experience, as well as innovating with omnichannel solutions.
What do you enjoy about working with the Cisco Store program?
Working with a team that consistently collaborates to push the boundaries and will do whatever is needed to get there.
What Cisco Store project are you most proud of right now?
Launching a new online store, as we look at prominent retailers as our competitors, I love that we are continuously pushing online forward.
If you could describe the Cisco Store in one word, what would it be and why?
Unexpected. The Cisco Store is more than an employee store and a lot of people find this to be unexpected. We incorporate technology into all channels and are continuously looking at what the future of retail is to be the first to adopt new solutions.
What is your best memory from working on the Cisco Store program team?
Cisco Live Europe 2020! I think I slept an average of four hours every day but we worked really hard, came up with new initiatives, and definitely had our share of fun.
What are your top 3 favorite Cisco Store products?
Brian Domine
Where are you from?
Parents are from Switzerland, I was born in Redwood City, CA
What do you enjoy doing outside of work?
Flying drones, 3D printing things, watching movies, eating, all things tech
How long have you been at Cisco?
12 ½ years
Cisco Store job title and role description
Lead for technology deployments and integrations
What do you enjoy about working with the Cisco Store program?
I love being able to show where the Retail segment is heading. Its great that the store is a living lab where we can iterate and fail fast and try again all while showing the power and innovation that Cisco has to offer.
What Cisco Store project are you most proud of right now?
I am most proud of our Meraki and Cisco Vision deployments. By using these technologies we are able to switch the look and feel of the store out in seconds creating a completely new experience for our customers, partners, and employees. Some of the upcoming projects I am excited about are changing all the RFID technologies to have better inventory management and enhanced Smart Fitting rooms, as well as an Augmented reality application that will allow anyone a peek behind the scenes to see all that the store has going on from a technology deployment perspective.
If you could describe the Cisco Store in one word, what would it be and why?
Adaptable – we have created a store that is easily changed based on who our audience is. We are constantly taking our customers through the store to highlight the various technologies and show them how they could use these solutions in their industries.
What is your best memory from working on the Cisco Store program team?
My best memory was when we opened the Connected Cisco Store, prior to this we were more focused on selling merchandise and the technology played more of a back seat but now its both Merchandise and the technology operations and innovations all tied together
What are your top 3 favorite Cisco Store products?
Gabriella Tedesco
Where are you from?
I was born in New York and grew up in Tampa, Florida
What do you enjoy doing outside of work?
Running, getting lost in a really good book, cooking and eating delicious foods
How long have you been at Cisco?
Just over 8 months, in the New Grad Amplify Marketing program
Cisco Store job title and role description
Marketing Specialist- I work with social media/digital marketing, and data storytelling for the team
What do you enjoy about working with the Cisco Store program?
I am constantly learning while working with this program. We get to experience a little bit of everything on this team, and it has given me a better understanding of the retail world as well as how Cisco technology can be used to transform a business
What Cisco Store project are you most proud of right now?
The new Cisco Store blog- this is a project that has been in the works for quite a while and it has been great to see it come together!
If you could describe the Cisco Store in one word, what would it be and why?
Unique. There is no other program at Cisco like the Cisco Store, that takes Cisco technology and actually integrates it into a real, functioning retail environment
What is your best memory from working on the Cisco Store program team?
Definitely Cisco Live Europe 2020- it was the first time I got to meet the entire team in person which was so much fun, and it was also a great learning opportunity to meet customers and give technology tours of the travel Connected Cisco Store.
What are your top 3 favorite Cisco Store products?
Monaco Mug- Anything is Possible
Keep up with the Cisco Store on Instagram and Twitter! Visit the Cisco Store website for 24/7 Cisco merchandise shopping, and don’t forget to log in if you are a Cisco employee to receive your discount!
