CLASS NOTES
this fall. They spent time together in Miami with their families and even got in a little tennis.
time for GetHuman, they knew they could do it again. “Each of us had something to contribute,” the brothers say. “Zach pounds out code, software, and app; Ollie is fluent in digital marketing; Christian is bossy and has experience.”
98 I Dan Tortorice has begun teaching as an assistant professor in the economics and accounting department at the College of the Holy Cross… Jason Weida and his wife Kyley welcomed a daughter, Sailor Marian, on December 12. Kyley and Jason have two other children (Bowen, 6 and Alden, 4), and live in Hingham, MA.
02 I Mary Block and her husband Sean Herman are excited to share some happy news with the PAS community. Their daughter, Margaret Catherine “Daisy” Herman, was born on December 14, 2017 in Miami, Florida. She joins her older brother, two-year-old Jay Henry Herman... Last summer, Erin (Sharpe) Lekavich received a Fund for Teachers grant to attend the English Speaking Union/Globe Education Teaching Shakespeare Through Performance seminar in London. On October 18, she and her husband welcomed a son, Greg Lee Lekavich Jr.
Zachary Allen ’08 & Oliver Allen ’11 Zach and Ollie, along with older brother Christian, put the human in GetHuman. com. The Boston-based startup connects customers directly with a live representative for countless companies, including wireless carriers, cable providers, and store credit card services. In addition, the free app offers services to avoid hold music using a “call me back” option. The paid services include an option for a GetHuman rep to call the company directly on a customer’s behalf and do the arguing for them. The company was founded by Paul English, an entrepreneur who founded Lola.com and KAYAK.com, among others. Paul’s impetus for the company was witnessing his father, an Alzheimer’s patient, try to deal with customer service and complicated phone menus. Paul made a cheat sheet for his father, which turned into a website, and in 2005, that website became a sensation. In 2013, Christian Allen convinced Paul to register GetHuman as a company and to give it a shot, believing in the huge problem it was solving for its customers. Christian, who has a background in software engineering, brought brothers Zach and Ollie onboard. Zack taught himself to write software code, and Ollie handles customer service, digital marketing, and data and content.
Colin O’Higgins ‘97, feeling much less handsome than normal while spending time with Rafael Zubillaga ‘99 (left) in Miami
As it happens, GetHuman isn’t the first time the Allen brothers ventured into the startup world. Zack and Ollie previously built an online app called Libsy, and Christian helped to set up the business. So when it came
The best part of running GetHuman, they say, is getting to work together and to actually help people. “We get to grab coffee with each other just about every day. Not something every group of siblings get to brag about. Or lament about.” While reflecting on their time at the Abbey, both Zach and Ollie agree that Mr. Kale Zelden was their biggest influence. “He inspired both of us to want to learn more, ask questions every day, while also challenging us to be creative,” Ollie says. They also note coach Al Brown as a major influence, who is credited with creating a drive to improve their work ethic. Although there were no classes about running a startup, the Allens do attribute their success to the intangibles learned at the Abbey: “The Abbey is an incredible institution…it’s fair to say what we learned there we use almost on a daily basis: be smart, be creative. Be mindful of others and quick to ask how you can help them,” Ollie says. It is clear that Zack, Ollie, and Christian are creative and driven people. Not ones to sit behind desks, they foresee that they will remain in motion for their future. “As long as we get to see each other, share ideas, and keep creating new ideas together, I think our future will remain bright,” Ollie says. “I hope the adventure remains just that – an adventure.” To learn more about the Allen brothers’ company, visit www.gethuman.com or download the app in the iTunes or Android stores. “Email us at hello@gethuman.com anytime,” Ollie says. “Mentioning that you’re a part of the Abbey family will get you to the top of our inboxes quickly!”
WINTER Alumni BULLETIN 2018
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