There is no way to properly assess the passing of someone who hadn’t even hit the age of 30 yet, so I hope you’ll all join me in an acceptance of not being able to process this all correctly

 

Mike taught me a lot in my year on his team. He taught me self-accountability, how to be a successful and autonomous professional, and most of all, he taught me how to laugh and be happy at work

 

Moving across the country by myself was incredibly stressful in the beginning. It was tremendously difficult to navigate; making all new friends, learning a whole new city, and working in a whole new role. But Mike was able to alleviate all of those stresses for me. He made coming into work everyday fun and enjoyable, he told me about all the best spots there were to check out in Santa Monica, and he became a close friend to me in the meanwhile. Having another Northeast guy in the office provided me with a soul I could instantly relate to and feel comfortable with in that time, and I’ll never forget that.

 

I was always able to express any concerns I had with Mike transparently, and he always listened with his undivided attention. He had the perfect balance of recognizing that each and every day we have a job do to, and we must do it efficiently, while at the same time knowing once it was quitting time on Friday, that heading over to Sonny McLean’s for some drinks and darts was the best way to live this journey we are so blessed to experience.

 

What I’ll always keep from Mike’s memory is to never take life too seriously, and to try to have as much fun as you can in any situation that might be considered monotonous or dreary. His tradition of throwing out a word, trivia question, or history fact of the day is the perfect example of being able to take a step back from the office life and remember just how beautifully random our human history and culture is.

 

I was looking forward to trash talking Mike for beating him by 35 points in fantasy football this past weekend, but unfortunately, I’ll never get the chance to do so.

 

What I can do though, is display the plaque I received back in Q4 that reads “TEAM MCLAUGHLIN MVP” prominently for all to see, cuz I’ll always be proud to have succeeded under his astute management

 

I’ll always remember to “Keep my ducks in a row” Mike, and I hope to shoot the shit with you again someday

 

Your friend,

-Ryan