Earlier this year, longtime Ottawa firm Halogen Software was acquired by Saba Software.
For more than two decades, the HR software supplier had operated in Ottawa.
The Halogen moniker had been around since 2001. More than 400 employees worked at the firm’s Ottawa headquarters, most of whom stayed on through the acquisition.
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In the flurry of changes and adjustments that followed, one of the more innocuous transitions took place on the outside of the firm’s March Road building in October: The Halogen sign came down, and the Saba sign went up.
Saba’s Ottawa employees marked the old sign’s farewell with a charity auction. Selling off the old brand’s letters raised more than $1,000 for The Royal Foundation for Mental Health and The Shepherds of Good Hope.
Techopia caught up with a few of the employees who opted to purchase their little piece of Halogen to find out why the letters meant something to them, and where they’ll be hanging up their pieces of nostalgia.
Connie Costigan, vice-president of communications and brand advocacy:
“I wanted to support the two charities that we selected for the auction fundraiser – The Royal Foundation for Mental Health and The Shepherds of Good Hope – and this was a wonderful way to do it. Giving back to our communities is something that Halogen and Saba both care about a great deal.
“Since my son Owen’s first initial is one of the letters, and he had a perfect spot on his bedroom wall, it was easy to choose which part of the sign I wanted. Having a piece of nostalgia from Halogen was also important to me. After working at Halogen for nearly a decade before joining Saba, the sign represents a very important time, place and group of people to me, and to my family. It’s part of my story. And it’s part of our new story at Saba.”
Sohail Khan, director, data governance and enterprise systems:
“I truly love what I do and what Halogen and Saba stand for. These letters will be turned into a unique, lighted shelving piece and will be displayed on the wall behind me as a reminder of the great four years I had at Halogen. Plus, what better word is there to have in your home in huge bold letters!”
Hawley Kane, head of organizational talent and leadership development:
“Halogen and Saba care about, develop and celebrate our employees, and we work hard at creating an environment where people can be their best and reach their potential.
“I believe in our mission and in our solutions, and I wanted to celebrate the eight years I had with great people doing awesome work for our customers and for each other.
“My letter H hangs proudly in my office at home so those memories can live on!”
