Employee Spotlight: Cultivating Growth with Mike Wittmann

Mike Wittmann is one of our Account Executives who has lead many company-wide sales initiatives since mid 2022.  He works with partners and potential customers to find out what their goals and priorities are in an effort to save more lives from Sudden Cardiac Arrest. In his own words, “I collaborate with brilliant people who are changing the world in many different industries, mitigating risk and protecting lives as they take their AED programs to the next level.” 

Mike’s compassion, self-awareness, and can-do attitude make him a great salesman and an even better human. We are honored to have him on the team, and we all benefit from the perspective he brings to this lifesaving work!

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What was your first job?

When I was 14 I got a summer job as part of the landscaping and maintenance team at a nearby community college. I spent the summer making $4.25 an hour pulling weeds, painting parking lot stripes, and pushing brooms.

What were you doing before you joined Avive?

I’ve been in sales one way or another for close to 20 years now. I enjoy being part of a company that’s leveraging technology in new ways to do things that haven’t been done before. Before Avive I spent close to a decade in the apartment industry, helping property management companies use analytics and online marketing technologies to attract new residents.

What made you choose to work at Avive? 

One morning my wife asked me what I wanted to do next in my career. I said I would love to work for an organization that was doing work to truly make the world better, that was leveraging breakthrough technology in a new and exciting way, and that I get really excited about scenarios where an underdog is taking on established industry giants. I thought about it for a moment before saying, “Honestly, I think I’d love to work at Avive where my friend Chris works.” Chris is one of our engineers and he’d told me about all the exciting things going on at Avive.

A few hours later, out of the blue, Chris sent me a text with a link to a job listing for a sales role at Avive. I applied online and got the job a few weeks later! I was really drawn to the culture of Avive, how everyone works together to figure out cool new ways to solve problems, and how there’s a deep, passionate belief that what we’re doing here can really work to have a positive impact on so many people.

What inspires you? (In life, at work, or both!)

I’m inspired by the idea that everyone has a story that includes their own wins and losses, struggles and opportunities, strengths and weaknesses, and that everyone is doing their best with the story they’re in. It means a lot to me that I get to interact with so many people in different aspects of life, professional or otherwise, to see them in their story and to find out if there are ways I might contribute a little to making their story even better.

What’s something people may be surprised to learn about you?

My wife and I have 7 children, two sons and five daughters.

Which company value resonates most with you?

I love Avive’s commitment to empowering everyday people to do extraordinary things. Sudden Cardiac Arrest is such a random, unpredictable problem and the only way to solve it is by creating a culture of intervention where people are ready and willing to take action to care for others in their community when a cardiac emergency occurs. 

In a few words, how would you describe the team you work with at Avive?

I’m lucky to work with a team at Avive that is creative, motivated, innovative, and genuinely compassionate.

What is something about Sudden Cardiac Arrest that you wish more people knew?

I wish more people knew just how little time we have to make a difference when someone suffers a sudden cardiac arrest. With a person’s chances of survival decreasing by 7-10% per minute following an arrest, we don’t have very many “ten percents” we can give away before starting CPR and applying an AED. It’s not enough to call 911 and then wait for the first responders to arrive. 

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?

“Trial and error is freedom.” – Nassim Nicholas Taleb, Antifragile. Some of the best things that have ever happened to me came about thanks to mistakes I’ve made along the way!

If you weren’t an account executive at Avive, what would you be doing? 

That’s a tough one. I love what I do at Avive, but I have a secret dream of one day running a successful Christmas tree farm. Is that weird?

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We’re Hiring!

Avive is looking for motivated, hardworking individuals who are passionate about creating innovative solutions that save lives–whether your strength is full stack engineering or storytelling, we have a spot for you on our team!If you’re interested in joining us on our mission to save lives from Sudden Cardiac Arrest, please take a look at all of our open positions on our Careers Page, or visit our GlassDoor to see why our employees believe Avive is an awesome place to work!