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# Civic Experience Platform

CivicPlus® Couples Making Government Work Better

Meet Janell and Jim, Kenny, Kaidan, and Eric, and Marilyn and Kyle

Authored by Civic Plus Logo

CivicPlus

February 9, 2024
10 min

In the diverse landscape of professional partnerships, where ambition fuels collaboration and innovation thrives on teamwork, love often finds its way into the equation, intertwining colleagues’ lives in unexpected ways. In this blog, we explore the stories of three relationships that not only share love but also work together to help CivicPlus® achieve its mission of making local government work better.

Match Made at CivicPlus: Janell and Jim Flynn

Interview with Janell Flynn

Q: How did your love story begin?

Janell: Our story started with our fellow colleague and matchmaker RaeAnn. She planted the seed that eventually led to a double date with her, her boyfriend, me, and Jim. However, Jim and I exchanged numbers and ended up having a spontaneous coffee date about a week before our double date was planned. We ended up seeing each other a few times that weekend, and by the time our double date rolled around, we were smitten with each other.

Q: Can you share a special moment from your relationship?

Janell: One unforgettable moment was Jim’s heartfelt proposal before the 2016 CivicPlus Manhattan, Kansas holiday party. Jim asked me to marry him at Starbucks, where we had our first date, hours before the party. Once we arrived, we were overwhelmed by the amount of love and congratulations we received.

Q: It seems that CivicPlus has played a significant role in your love story. Is that why you chose to get married at the Manhattan office?

Janell: Yes! We knew we wanted a small wedding; the only family we invited was Jim’s twin brother and his wife. Everyone else was a CivicPlus employee. Jim went to Brian Rempe, our CEO, and Brian gave his blessing to use the building after hours. We got married at 6 o’clock on April 27, 2017. Jim’s brother married us, and then we celebrated with some champagne and took photos around the office and the building before heading off on our honeymoon.

Q: Have you established any boundaries between your personal and professional lives, and how do you maintain a balance?

Janell: We’ve learned to navigate the intricacies of working together by supporting each other’s professional endeavors while also carving out time for our personal relationship outside of the workplace. We keep work at work, besides asking how the other’s day was.

We also have clear boundaries to not talk about specifics regarding our roles. We keep everything very high-level. Jim is the Senior Director of Information Security, and I am a Manager of Customer Sucess, so each of our roles requires a level of confidentiality.

Q: How do you support each other’s individual career goals?

Janell: Jim and I motivate each other to continue excelling as leaders and individual contributors. If he reads a book he thinks I might also learn something from it; he’ll pass it along to me to read. We’re also able to talk to one another about a hurdle or challenge we might be tackling at work as professionals and help the other person.

It’s an advantage that we work for the same company. We’re both passionate about our work at CivicPlus. We truly believe in the mission and the vision of the company. This passion helps drive us to continue to grow as professionals. I joke that one day, I’ll also be at the same level in the company as Jim, and he motivates me to achieve that goal.

Q: Can you share a funny or lighthearted work-related anecdote that reflects your dynamic as a couple in the workplace?

Janell: It took eight years for me and Jim to collaborate on a project. In 2023, we found ourselves in the same meeting. Someone pointed out, “We have both the Flynns on the call today!”

LARP Friends Turned Polycule: Kaidan Cole, Kenny Cole, and Eric Panter

Interview with Kaidan Cole, Kenny Cole, and Eric Panter

Q: How did you all meet and how did your love story begin?

Kenny and Eric: We met in 2000 through LARP (Live Action Role Playing). We were involved in a network that connected players from various states. In 2011, we connected with Kaidan through the LARP network.

Kaidan: I was in a transitional period of my life, and Kenny and Eric offered me a space to regroup and figure out the next chapter of my life. So, I relocated to Kansas and moved in with them. Pretty soon after, our love story began.

Q: When did each of you realize you were in love?

Eric: Soon after each relationship started. When it is obvious, it is obvious.

Kenny: It took a little bit of time for me. But after some time, I was in love.

Kaidan: I had two moments. The night I moved into Kenny and Eric’s place, it felt like I was home. I hadn’t felt that in a very long time. The second moment was when Eric and I were visiting a pagan shop in town. I used a crystal pendulum and asked if I was where I was supposed to be, and the answer was yes. In that same shop, I watched Eric perform a tarot card reading. It felt like deja vu. I had a dream a few years before meeting Kenny and Eric about this exact moment.

Q: What are some activities you all enjoy doing together as a polycule?

Kenny: We’re all really into gaming. We all play Dungeons and Dragons, and we’re all currently playing Guild Wars 2.

Kaidan: Eric and I play Pokémon, but Kenny doesn’t play with us. But he’ll hang out while we game.

Kenny: We also cook! My specialty is lasagna.

Kaidan: Mine is mac and cheese. I made it one year for Thanksgiving, and it’s now requested each year.

Eric: I make smoked teriyaki chili.

Q: What are the advantages and disadvantages of working with your partners?

Eric: I can speak to a disadvantage; since we all work together and have a deep understanding of each other’s roles, it can make leaving work talk at work difficult. I sometimes find myself brainstorming solutions, and I talk to Kenny or Kaidan about it.

Kenny: And we do try and help Eric practice work-life balance when he can go off on work brainstorming. We remind him we’re off the clock!

An advantage is that since we all work for CivicPlus, we know how each other contributes to the overall success of the company. I moved into the Knowledge Management team last year, and Kaidan really helped me onboard and be successful in my role.

Kaidan: For me, I know I can go to Eric and Kenny for specific things. For example, Kenny helps me see things from a different perspective I might not have considered. Eric is very helpful when it comes to learning acronyms used at CivicPlus, and he is also an Excel wizard.

Kenny: I second that; Eric has helped me many times with Excel.

Q: If there were one lesson or piece of advice you could share with other couples working together, what would it be?

Kaidan: Communication. Communication is key. If you’re speaking with your partner and you’re unsure about what they’re talking about, don’t be afraid to ask them to share it in a different way or phrase things less technically.

Eric: Provide feedback with compassion and empathy. If they do ask you to reword or phrase something differently, do it in a positive way. Be positive.

Kenny: Remember that everything is a process. We didn’t begin this relationship with perfect communication. Our polycule is always a work in progress. Each day, we grow and continue to commit to the longevity of our relationship.

Q: What’s something you want to share about being in a polyamorous relationship?

Kaidan, Kenny, and Eric: Polyamory is 100% normal. Many people can feel deep, romantic love for more than one person at a time without diminishing their love for either. Being in a committed, monogamous relationship does not change that love either; rather, it creates a very special bond and promise between the pair because they commit to one another, knowing they might love others and choose never to act on it. They choose each other repeatedly, just as they promised. Love is beautiful, unique, and special. Embrace/appreciate it in all its forms, and your life will be incredibly fulfilling.

A CivicPlus Hallo-Wedding: Marilyn and Kyle Cain

Interview with Marilyn and Kyle Cain

Q: How did your love story begin?

Kyle: I stopped Marilyn in the hallway at the CivicPlus Tallahassee office and asked her if she had ever wondered about seaweed. Like how is seaweed made? How does it go from the ocean to wrapped around a sushi roll? She laughed and said she didn’t. I told her I would do more research on it.

Marilyn: Then I added him on Facebook and asked him how the research was going, which he shared with me. From there, we started talking more and began dating. We went from seaweed to soulmates!

Q: Can you tell me more about your “Hallo-Wedding” you had at the CivicPlus Tallahassee office?

Marilyn: The Tallahassee office is where we first met and fell in love. We were both taking the SmartDollar classes at the time, which one of the managers, Eric Grant, hosted. We bonded in that class and set a mutual goal to be debt-free to travel more. Since Eric played an important part in that shared goal, once we got debt-free, we went on a celebratory trip where Kyle proposed, and we asked Eric to be our officiant.

We also started dating around Halloween, so we knew we wanted a spooky wedding. We asked Eric to dress as Beetlejuice. I wore a long black dress like Morticia, Kyle wore an outfit inspired by Gomez and our bridal party dressed like Wednesday and Uncle Fester from the Addams Family.

We asked our guests to wear Halloween costumes. It was a fun wedding, and meant a lot to get married where we fell in love.

Kyle: We also love the location. There is a beautiful lake behind the office where we could eat lunch. We were able to take photos in areas around the office, like the lake, that were important in our love story.

Q: What are some activities you like to do as a couple?

Kyle: Walking around parks, shopping at farmer’s markets. That’s something we did on our first date; we went to a farmer’s market.

Marilyn: We also like going to bookstores and reading in a cafe together. We also sometimes read books to one another and write poetry together and for each other.

Q: How do your roles help CivicPlus achieve its mission to make government work better?

Marilyn: We’re both project managers in different departments, and we help manage internal teams to meet the needs of our customers.

Kyle: We engage with our customers and build relationships. That helps us make sure that our customers are as happy as possible. Even if we, as project managers, can’t meet their needs immediately, the customer feels heard, and we can work internally to meet the customer’s needs.

Q: How do you support each other’s career goals?

Kyle: When we first started dating, we were both on the Supplement team. We worked on specific supplement projects every now and then. However, after the pandemic hit, I moved from proofreading to editing. Marilyn was already an editor, so it was helpful to have her around to help me onboard during an odd transitional time at work. She helped me be successful in my new role.

Marilyn: Now that we’re both project managers, we can work together on earning certifications. We can study and support each other.

Q: If there were one lesson or piece of advice you could share with other couples working together, what would it be?

Marilyn: Communicate with one another about your schedule or workloads. Establish boundaries early on.

Kyle: Also, keep a work-life balance, keep work talk to working hours. Also, if your schedules do line up, try to have lunch with one another.

Final Thoughts on Life and Love in the Workplace

Jim, Janell, Eric, Kenny, Kaidan, Kyle, and Marilyn’s stories all have more in common than finding love in the workplace. Setting boundaries, supporting one another’s career growth, and maintaining open communications are the foundational elements of these lovers’ success stories. When you love what you do and who you do it with and have the support of a partner or partners who cherish your authentic self, every day is an opportunity to make an impact in the world.

CivicPlus is committed to ensuring that every employee who joins us because they are passionate about our mission of making government work better is welcome into a culture of inclusion and belonging. Knowing that these valued employees not only found career growth and purpose in our company but also found love and companionship gives us all the feels. #WereNotCryingYoureCrying

If you’re interested in a career at CivicPlus, explore our careers page for more information.

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