At Raleigh Founded, we celebrate a Member of the Month for their outstanding dedication to our core values. These members are not only successful entrepreneurs and business leaders but are recognized for their positivity, kindness, and the meaningful ways they uplift our community. They go above and beyond supporting fellow members and contributing to the collaborative spirit that defines Raleigh Founded.

‍

We had the pleasure of speaking with Zach Gregory, Co-Founder of Paper Cloud Creative, about his passion for community outreach and empowering others.

Which core value resonates with you the most?

‍

Zach resonates most with empowering others at this point in his life.

‍

“I feel like it makes me want to be better when I help other people be better. I think you get back what you give a lot of the time.” 

‍

Whether you’re making a connection, networking, or helping someone with a project, Zach believes that your “karmic bank fills up in a good way and it comes back to you in the end.”

‍

What is a win you are proud of this past year?

‍

Zach’s first answer? 

‍

“Whenever my baby is born, is a pretty good win!” Since being interviewed, Zach and his wife welcomed their healthy baby girl. 

‍

Another big win for Zach is attending therapy again, something that he has neglected for a while.

‍

 “I think that [therapy] is really important for mental check-ins and […] doing more self-check-ins at work.” 

‍

Since starting therapy, Zach has been proud of being open about it with others and freely chatting about his experience. 

‍

“I think, especially in professional lives, you always feel like you need to crush it [...’ but sometime’s it’s okay to just say: things suck!” 

‍

Talking about his experience has been rewarding for Zach as he finds others become open in sharing their feelings as well.

‍

What community causes or charities have you been involved in lately? This can be here at Founded or beyond!

‍

Paper Cloud Creative works with Cadco, a construction firm based in Raleigh, every year for an Autism Awareness charity tournament. Zach and the rest of the team are in charge of the logo and design work for this tournament. 

‍

“We love doing that. It’s easy to exchange and barter skills for a good cause. One of our first clients was Victoria Hofmeister with Mosaic Solutions, and that kind of tied us into the Autism Society, which has been nice.”

‍

Additionally, Zach and Paper Cloud played an important role in the design work for Founded’s Kickball For a Cause. They designed the location badges for the event and shirts. 

‍

“It was super fun and the shirts were awesome.” 

Name one thing about the Founded community that you appreciate!

‍

The Founded community “feels like a home away from home in a nice way” for Zach. He finds the community very welcoming with “little pockets of variety.” He enjoys the space for joking and hanging out with other fellow community members. 

‍

“It feels like a family, it’s very supportive […] and people are always open and willing to lend an ear or hand.”

‍

Who would you nominate next for Member of the Month?

‍

Zach’s nomination for the next Member of the Month is Kenny Wical! 

‍

“Kenny has been doing more and more with people, fostering a lot of togetherness and beckoning people with his loud laugh.”