Employee Spotlight: Kyli Soto
Where is your hometown?
Aurora, CO – A proud Colorado Native! Growing up, I moved around a lot. I lived in 10 different houses before I graduated high school, mostly within the Aurora area. Contrarily, my husband was born and raised in Carolina, Puerto Rico and his parents still live in the same house in which he grew up!
Tell us something unique about you
I lived in Puerto Rico for 7 years, in someone else’s ocean side vacation mansion, rent-free! Their refrigerator was always filled with food and I got to drive their golf carts around the neighborhood. My main house responsibility was feeding the fish. They lived in Manhattan full-time and whenever I would get island-fever, they would let me come up and visit them in NYC. Originally complete strangers, they are now some of our closest family friends.
What do you like best about working at Innovest?
I love the trust and flexibility that we have to help create a healthy work-life balance and a family first mentality. I appreciate that I do not have to ‘punch a clock,’ rather that I am trusted to get the work done within the timeframe it is needed. Also, I am very fortunate to be on a team that does not back away from any challenges; we roll up our sleeves and we figure out a way to get it done. I love problem-solvers and my team has a sense of integrity to make sure we try and do things to the best of our ability, as accurately as possible. Being around a group like that pushes you to try harder and to make sure your work is the best representation of your capabilities.
How do you give back to the Community?
I donate blood religiously; every 8 weeks. I have O- blood which is the universal donor blood type. It takes a little bit of energy out of you for a few days, but it’s a great feeling when you get the confirmation message that your blood was used to help someone else with a transfusion or in surgery, etc. I also was inspired by our co-worker Kristin Lee to donate my COVID antibody plasma!
What are your hobbies and interests?
I have my advanced level certification in scuba diving, I hit from the Men’s tees when I play Golf, I enjoy hiking and have dabbled in climbing 14ers, and I am a devoted fan to my sibling’s sporting events – Currently, I am able to watch my sister’s games on TV. She plays basketball for Stanford University and we were fortunate enough to attend the one game this season where fans were allowed (thank you Arizona State!).
Tell us about your family:
My husband Jorge and I love our DINK (Dual Income No Kids) lifestyle and try to make the most of it with spontaneous trips. You can often find us trying out the local eateries and breweries wherever we go. Some of you may know my mother, Carol Van Gytenbeek, she is Innovest’s Office Manager (I take pride in the fact that I brought her into the Innovest fold in 2010!) It’s fun to be able to see her at work because I was away from home for almost 12 years, so we get to spend more time together now. I have 4 siblings in total, all of which are 10-15 years younger than me, and I have two sets of amazing parents who I enjoy spending my time with. My grandmother is still alive, and we love being close to her; she is always feeding us her delicious Japanese cuisine.
What is your favorite dessert:
Anyone who knows me, knows that I do not discriminate against dessert. If it has sugar, I will enjoy it. However, as a child (and as a 33 year-old adult writing this today) I was fond of making chocolate chip cookie dough, without the chocolate chips and never actually turning on the oven, so anything cookie dough is probably my favorite!
