Team Q&A: Rachel Sanford – Marketing Coordinator

Early this year, Rachel Sanford joined the marketing team as the Marketing Coordinator, overseeing events, managing our social media, and helping out wherever and however she can to help create a sustainable future together. Please join us in formally welcoming Rachel to the Virtual Peaker team!

How did your previous life prepare you for Virtual Peaker?

In my previous life, I worked in the mortgage industry for 8 years primarily in property preservation working with banks and asset management companies to provide services such as repair, inspection, insurance claim management, and maintenance on foreclosed homes.

Right after experiencing a layoff in 2018, I decided to completely change industries and fell in love with marketing. Although I never felt content in my prior career, I learned a lot about sustainability by helping asset managers invest in energy-saving equipment and adopt eco-forward strategies that satisfied the environmental concerns of the market while simultaneously lowering their operational costs and carbon footprint.

I believe that my experience in property preservation coupled with my interest in technology and passion for protecting the planet prepared me for what we’re doing at Virtual Peaker — advocating for a smarter, cleaner, and more sustainable future.

Tell us about your role at Virtual Peaker.

I am the Marketing Coordinator on our Marketing Team and my job is to support and oversee the marketing, planning, and execution of all our trade show events to maximize lead generation and company exposure.

I research opportunities to sponsor conference sessions that align with our marketing goals, provide regular updates to keep all participants informed of upcoming events and deadlines, and coordinate the logistics of our exhibits including maintenance of marketing materials, demonstration equipment, and all accessories.

Lastly, I also create pre-show briefing documents, run pre and post-show business meetings, manage our social media strategy, and drive project management for the marketing team.

How do you personally engage in sustainability efforts?

I try to work toward a sustainable future by recycling, going paperless whenever I can, avoiding discardable plastics by using reusables instead, and buying organic, eco-friendly brands as much as possible. My husband and I started a hydroponic gardening system last year saving between 70-90% more water than soil. That way, we can enjoy fresh fruits and vegetables without a trip to the grocery store and without all the chemicals. We’re also excited about getting solar panels installed on our home in the coming months or early next year.

What can you tell us about yourself?

I’m from Dallas, TX but decided to buy a house in a semi-rural area called Savannah shortly after my husband and I got married in 2012. I enjoy traveling to different places, learning about different cultures, trying new foods and restaurants, doing home improvements and DIY projects, and watching documentaries about conspiracy theories, true crime, and historical events. My husband and I also have a 13-year-old Boxer, named Lennox and we’re parents to an almost 2-year-old little girl with another on the way due in early December. When I’m not working I love spending time together as a family whether it’s going out to eat, swimming, exploring new parks, or taking our dog on walks around the neighborhood.

About The Author

Bill is a serial entrepreneur with a PhD from UC Berkeley in Controls and Artificial Intelligence and 10 years of experience with high performance residential energy management and connected appliances. He was previously at GE as an Advanced Systems Engineer in the Connected Home Software Group, but left that role in May 2014 to pursue entrepreneurship full time.

Bill grew up in Louisville and returned with his family in 2010 after a long stint in the San Francisco Bay Area. He loves Louisville and is working to make it a better and more attractive city for high tech startups.

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