We love celebrating our team members at Wingstop and every quarter we recognize team members who have gone above and beyond. For Q3 2018, the honor went to two individuals who went above and beyond in their roles. Chad Rushing in information technology and Cody Thornton in development were both named Team Members of the Quarter! See below for a deeper dive into Chad’s journey with Wingstop and click here to learn more about Cody.
As a Windows desktop engineer, Chad is often affectionately called the “helpdesk guy” or “Crushing” due to the pairing of his first initial with his last name (C + Rushing). Chad joined the company on his birthday, January 22, 2018, and has been with the company just under a year, which makes his nomination all the more impressive. His main duties include the design, deployment and maintenance of the Windows operating system for all Wingstop corporate team members, but he definitely doesn’t stop there. Approachable and patient, Chad has become the go-to guy for anything tech related. Alexa not responding? Phone not charging? Chad’s got you.
Here’s what Chad’s colleague had to say about his performance:
“Chad is a great team player and has done a fantastic job in his role. Since becoming a team member earlier this year, he has already introduced new procedures to streamline existing processes for other departments. He always has a good attitude when he’s asked to fix something or help with something.”
We asked Chad some questions about his experience in IT and with Wingstop. See the Q&A below:
What drew you to the field of IT?
Since I was very young, I was always taking things apart, like the TV remote control and my Speak & Spell, trying to figure out what made it work. As I got older, I never lost my interest in building things. Sometime around 1998, I walked in to a public library and checked out a book by a guy named Bill Gates called The Road Ahead and it was then I knew my future was in computers.
What first attracted you to apply at Wingstop?
What I wanted most out of my experience at Wingstop was the opportunity to work with a team of IT professionals after being either solo or on small teams for the last couple of years. I was very happy to find what I was looking for in our IT department. We have so many talented people doing great work and keeping it fun.
What does being Team Member of the Quarter mean to you?
Besides being surprised at first, it confirms that I’m at the right place with the right people. I’m part of the family.
What do you believe has made you successful in your career?
Staying curious, I always want to know more about how things work. I never lost that initial spark of wonder.
What is your favorite part of your role?
Everyone on the Wingstop team is so nice. It really keeps me going. Working in support roles, you are often in situations where you are helping people in their worst moments. I am always welcomed with open arms. Everyone is attempting to accommodate me and apologizing to me for the inconvenience. It’s crazy. It’s really a special thing we have here.
What do you attribute as your most valuable accomplishment at Wingstop?
I like being someone that our team members come to for advice. I’m not just fixing problems. I get called in on a lot of things to contribute my opinion one way or another because people have confidence in my ability to help them with their ideas. You have no idea how happy that makes me.
How do you Serve the World Flavor in your role?
I’m one of a couple of people that interact with every person in Wingstop. All of our team members across the world, new hires, everyone, they all see and talk to me at some point. As an unofficial face of the company, I’m constantly passing along the good times we have here at HQ to the Wingstop universe.
Lastly, what’s your favorite wing flavor?
Original Hot!
Congratulations to Chad Rushing for being named Team Members of the Quarter! We’re glad you’re part of the team.
Want to join our team? Check out our careers page.
