I work at National Instruments, a 13-peat top 100 companies to work for. No question the reason it has made the list every year since before Y2K is its consistent focus on employee happiness and well-being. Clearly someone at the top knows happy employees means good work, so NI does its part to make sure we’re happy. One way they do that is with quarterly deck parties — company-wide festivities for employees to get away from their desks and mingle amongst each other in the Texas sunshine.

Recently the deck parties have been lacking a little in

the “good food” department. Bucking that trend, and incorporating Earth Week into the mix, the PPC (party planning committee) brought in all kinds of local vendors to hold one of the best deck parties in recent history. On tap (literally) were Live Oak Brewing Company, 512 Brewing Company, and Independence Brewery. In addition, they had Deep Eddy Vodka, Texas Sake Company, and Becker Vineyards. Let’s just say productivity went down to zero once the party started.

Near and dear to my heart, more than the alcohol, were the food trucks that set up shop in our parking lot. And I’m not the only one who likes (free) food truck food! The lines of engineers, marketers, and everyone in between got very long, very fast. We had Coreanos, Short Bus Subs, and Verts Kebap all handing out tacos, sandwiches, and kebaps, respectively. I was only able to get tacos from Coreanos due to the long lines. Talk about some flavorful beef and pork tacos! Even better when it’s free.

Coreanos tackling the crowds

Short Bus Subs making sure everyone is getting toasted... sandwiches

Verts Kebap teaching people that size doesn't matter... in a food truck

Everyone had a great time. Thanks to National Instruments for putting together a great party showcasing some of Austin’s finest local vendors. And thanks to the local Austin small businesses who came out and provided for our company and keeping us happy.