New beginnings are always worth celebrating, and starting a new job is no exception. As more teams shift to remote-first or remote-always work environments, it is more important than ever before to be intentional about welcoming new colleagues. When CarMax wanted to make new team members feel truly welcome, they collaborated with Bold Xchange to create a memorable gifting experience that felt as authentic to the company as possible. 

THE CONCEPT

It's no secret that more and more companies are shifting their remote work policies. Hybrid, flex, remote-first—there are lots of terms to describe companies that see working from home as a major part of their team members' professional experiences. 

Where some organizations have approached work from home as either a necessary evil or a company perk, CarMax endeavored to create a special way of celebrating team members who would always be remote. 

This was a tall order: a gift that was grand enough to mark a professional milestone, universal enough to be appropriate across various teams and roles, and CarMax-specific enough to capture the thoughtfulness and authenticity of the initiative itself.

Everything in this box was perfect for the home office: a custom candle from Pure Perfection Candles, loose leaf tea from Adjourn Tea House, premium coffee from Historic Noire, a desk calendar from Cloth & Paper, and a Stay Bold mug from Bold Xchange.

Looking for a New Team member Welcome Box? Build one here. 

THE EXECUTION

Those items are great enough on their own, but the fact that both Adjourn Tea House and Cloth & Paper are Richmond natives like CarMax made the assortment that much more special. And because the start of a new role deserves a personal welcome, each box was customized with a message from CarMax on the inside flap: "We love that you joined us."

The CarMax team doubled down on this messaging with a special gift note on 5x7 card stock, which gave further context to the goodies each new team member had received. The interior box design and gift note card were created by CarMax's internal design team, with specs provided by Bold Xchange.

To make this a truly authentic CarMax experience, the boxes needed one final touch, though. Just like the cars they sell (which, for customers, mark a life milestone just as special as a new job), these boxes were wrapped in a signature, bright-yellow CarMax bow. As soon as they opened the outer shipping box and saw that bright yellow looking up at them, the new team members could be certain who the gift was from.