A new job and a new home

RK was on a winding career path until he found the one place that was committed to taking extra steps to get him on the team.

“They didn’t care about where I was from or my race or ethnicity. What mattered most were my skills and abilities. They simply looked at the contribution I could make.”

How the journey began

Radhakrishnan traveled around the world before joining our team. He grew up in India where he obtained a master’s in computer applications (MCA), comparable to a master’s degree in computer science in the U.S. When he graduated, he didn’t know he would end up moving to the United States.

Radhakrishnan is known as “RK” around the office. He has been a full-time member of our IT department since 2016 and is extremely grateful. We sponsored his visa and his family’s dependent visas so that they could move to the United States.

RK previously worked for a prominent U.S. technology company that had offices in India. This company sent him to the U.S. for the first time where he lived in the Bay Area for four years. While he was there, he grew fond of the U.S. culture and found that there were a lot of opportunities to learn. “The newest technology is created in the United States,” RK says. “It’s the best place to be if you’re in the technology field.”

What mattered most of all

RK returned to India when his work visa expired. However, he was soon sent to work in another foreign destination: London, England. After a short time there, though, he returned to India once again. “I was really hoping to go back to the United States,” says RK. “The quality of life was so much better, so I began looking for a job there.” He ultimately found a position at ScottsMiracle-Gro.

“I didn’t know much about Ohio,” RK says. “But I already felt like I am part of a big family at Scotts. It meant a lot that they were going to sponsor my family and me to come to the United States.

“They didn’t care about where I was from or my race or ethnicity. What mattered most were my skills and abilities. They simply looked at the contribution I could make.”

A time of many firsts

RK is happy to call Ohio his home. “It’s far away from India, yes. But my family just experienced their first winter ever in their lifetimes. My little girl even got to play in the snow,” he says. “They were able to be with me and experience this because of Scotts, and I am so grateful.”