Once a year the entire 11th floor of the Pinnacle Group building is cleared. Deadlines and computers are replaced with decorations and laughter. Merriment fills the air as employees gather together to celebrate in one of Pinnacle’s most beloved traditions, the Thanksgiving Potluck. “The Thanksgiving Potluck is my favorite tradition that has developed at Pinnacle Group over the years,” says Pinnacle CEO and Chairman Nina Vaca. “It started twenty years ago, and it has continued to be a beautiful tradition of thankfulness that brings together the Pinnacle family to celebrate our cultures and blessings.”
The centerpiece of the room is a thirty foot long table piled with mountains of food. Every employee contributes a favorite dish, with recipes ranging from those passed down through the generations to childhood favorites. And the turkey? Cooked by Pinnacle’s own Nina Vaca. Twenty years ago she served a nine pound turkey, but this year she cooked over sixty pounds of turkey to the Pinnacle family. The rest of the table is filled with a variety of side dishes and desserts. But the ladened table symbolizes more than just the favorite foods of the Pinnacle employees; the beautiful spread represents the vast collection of backgrounds and cultures represented at Pinnacle.
“The dishes we share are personally meaningful to each person,” explains Valerie Baggett, Pinnacle’s Lead Recruiter. “Our Thanksgiving event gives everyone a change to experience all of the unique backgrounds and many origins of the people of Pinnacle, as experiencing food is the most intimate way of learning a new culture. Pinnacle has been my family for the last ten years, and at the Thanksgiving Potluck we share a meal just like a family would.”
This spirit of sharing and thankfulness is what makes the event so meaningful to many employees, especially those who have witnessed Pinnacle grow from a small startup to the fastest-growing woman owned business in America. The holiday lunch lasts all afternoon allowing Pinnacle’s family time to connect and celebrate. “We take an entire day to come together to show gratitude for all our blessings and each other,” says On-boarding Lead Ace Tovar. “It’s a purely Pinnacle day, and it demonstrates why Pinnacle is different.”