Welcome to the sixth annual M&K Holiday Newsletter! Kelly and I hope this holiday season finds you healthy, fulfilled and close to your loved ones. What a year 2022 has been. Reflecting on it as the World Cup has just drawn to a close, I’m reminded of this article from the New York Times, quoting the great Lionel Messi: “We know how to endure when it is necessary”. 2022 was a year that demanded endurance. Yes, we had a lot of fun and laughs. We were able to spend quality time with loved ones. We were able to travel a bit. We have so much to be grateful for. But we also had to endure. We hope that this holiday season brings you the rest, health, and love Kelly and I will relish in the waning days of 2022.

For those new here - this newsletter will catch you up on Kelly & I’s big, life-changing events, update you on all things work related, give you a fly-by of all our travels, and acknowledge those with whom we shared a roof, whether here in New York or on the road in the past year.

We hope you enjoy. From the bottom of our hearts, Kelly and I wish you an absolutely wonderful holiday season and a blessed 2023! As our surrogate mother, Nancy Roberts, always says, "May all love surround you!"

-Matt Engfer, December 18, 2022

A YEAR OF RESILiancy

This year opened with Kelly in bed recovering from hip surgery. It’s been a surprisingly difficult journey but we’ve come a long way this year. Through March, I played the role of caretaker shuttling her from bed to shower to PT appointments and back. She slowly but surely healed over the first six months of the year. But right up until November, there have been regular setbacks that have tested our patience and left more than a few tears on the floor. I won’t lie, it’s been really tough. Especially for Kelly, who for most of this year has been confined to bed, and then the apartment, and then a 3 block radius, and finally can now travel. She’s missed her freedom and her physical strength. Still I’m inspired by her capacity to endure. Things have looked better over the last couple months, though there are still intermittent strains, pulls, and pains as her body readjusts to the strength she’s working hard to build up.

GRief

In August we shockingly lost one of my best friends, John Austin, who passed away suddenly during a pickup basketball game in Broolyn. I’ve known John since he moved into a house across the street in fourth grade. Our sisters are the best of friends. Our families always did either Thanksgiving or Christmas eve together. John is survived by his incredible wife Mercedes, mother Jill, father Tony, sister Katie, and Brother Tommy. He was truly one of the most important people in our lives and we’ll always miss his infectious humor and incredible ability to be so close to such a wide network of great people. We still think about him every single day. We had a wonderful party at his apartment in Brooklyn just a few days later that was attended by many of his closest friends and family and felt like something he would have really enjoyed. We miss you John and are so grateful to have known you.

MATT’S COMPANY, CUBBY, FINDS ITS FOOTING

On Jan 1, Cubby Enterprises, Inc was officially started. What at the time was a collection of research experience shared by me and my co-founder Adam Fleming has really blossomed this year, as Cubby was able to hire its first employees, build our initial software, and raise a round of funding that ensures we’ll be around for a good while longer. Cubby is a software platform for owners of self-storage commercial real estate. They need the ability to accept reservations on their websites, take payments for monthly rent, and report on their business performance and that’s exactly what Cubby delivers. Today the company has 18 total people and will continue to grow in 2023. We’re having an absolute blast serving our customers and can’t wait to see what the new year has in store.

KELLY GAINS MASTERY IN HER FIRST MANAGEMENT ROLE

From bed, then the bedroom desk, then the home office, then the real office, Kelly has endured a demanding healthcare regiment and simultaneously built a very high-performing team of young sales professionals at LinkedIn. Her team has grown to adore her over the year and the results they are putting up are testament to their talent and focus under Kelly’s leadership. I’m blown away by her ability to “turn it on” when she needs to and be there for her team.