CHALLENGES

#1: In the sales industry there are always challenges that arise, but your ability to work together with a team to overcome them is often a huge factor in how successful you will be. To test your team’s problem solving skills, get to the business whose mascot is shown HERE. Once there, find the poster in the front window with that mascot holding a QR code. Divide your team into small groups of 2 or 3 people and have each group scan the QR code and begin working together to solve the 3 puzzles. Once any one of your groups has solved all 3 puzzles submit a picture of them holding up their phone with the screen showing the page saying “you solved all the puzzles”!

Connection Question For Challenge #1

#2: San Diego is filled with lots of beautiful people. So completing a challenge where you have to find one specific beautiful person will be tough. Located within the designated zone seen HERE (from Market Street to K Street, along or in between Fifth Street and Sixth Streets) is the secret person you will need to find. The only clues we will give you is that they are wearing something red and they will be somewhere outdoors. While your team is in the designated zone, approach people that are wearing something red and tell them “we think you are beautiful”. Make sure to say it with sincerity but continue moving throughout the area, approaching strangers, local business employees, or anyone you think should know just how beautiful they are. You are searching for a secret under cover agent (the “Beautiful Person”) and once you tell them they are beautiful they will respond with the secret three-letter code, “D-X-P”. Once you’ve found them, celebrate and take a beautiful team picture with the secret person for verification.

Connection Question For Challenge #2

#3: Working for a leading industrial distribution company that has over a century of experience you all have likely used Scotch Tape for just about everything. Well, except this. To honor this incredibly versatile American-made product take a fun team picture after everyone uses Scotch tape to dramatically stretch and distort their faces. To create the proper distortion you’ll need at least 5 pieces of tape per face, although the more the better! For some inspiration click HERE.

Connection Question For Challenge #3

#4: Get your team to It’Sugar (450 Fifth Ave) for the Extreme Sour Challenge. Head inside and let one of the staff know that you are from the scavenger hunt. They will bring out a container with various flavors of extremely sour candy. Have each team member reach in without looking and get one piece. Then take a video of all your team members putting their candy in their mouth at the same time and sucking on it for roughly 30 seconds (to get the full sour experience). Disclaimer, this will likely not be pleasant for everyone, which is exactly the point. Because a team that suffers together, grows together.

Connection Question For Challenge #4

#5: Today is League Of Nations Day, which celebrates the now-defunct international organization that was created to maintain world peace and promote international cooperation. Even though the organization ceased operations in the 1940s, it became a predecessor to the United Nations, as many of its goals and objectives were the same. Anywhere around the area, find an American flag that is flying within 100 feet or so of another country’s flag. Once you’ve found the two flags take a unified team picture of your team members with their arms around one another, to celebrate everyone’s diverse backgrounds coming together, while the flags are visible behind you.

Connection Question For Challenge #5

#6: Being able to focus while surrounded by distractions is a skill that will help you succeed in your role at DXP. This challenge will test how well you can do that. Click HERE to get to the brain puzzles and then select “Memory”. Then, anywhere along the way have at least two team members achieve a score of 50 or more points. Once you have your two super focused teammates, take a celebratory picture of them while they’re displaying their phone screens and the point totals are clearly visible. If needed, you can take an additional close-up picture of the two devices to clearly show the point totals (for bragging purposes of course).

Connection Question For Challenge #6

#7: Anywhere around the area, take a picture of your team forming a 3-tiered, human pyramid inside of any elevator. You’ll need at least 6 people to properly form 3 tiers, so recruit kind strangers as needed if some of your team members choose to cheer you on instead. The elevator can be stopped at a floor with the door open as long as your pyramid is performed inside the actual elevator.

Connection Question For Challenge #7

#8: In order to continue achieving the growth that DXP has had recently, including a nearly 13% increase in sales in Q3 compared to the same period the previous year, you need to be listening to the people you provide services for and understand the stories that make them who they are. Take a video of your team with any stranger (not someone on your team or from DXP) that has a tattoo while they explain what that tattoo means to them or why they got it. The tattoo must be visible at some point during the video.

Connection Question For Challenge #8

#9: One of the most iconic 80’s movies was set right here in San Diego, and the film's success boosted applications to the Navy's aviation program by a reported 500%. To honor this city’s role in that classic film, find any location around the area where everyone on your team can put on a pair of aviator style glasses. Once everyone looks the part, take a video of your team members all singing a portion of the song famously played/sung in the scene shown HERE, which actually took place at a BBQ restaurant a few blocks from here. Be sure to sing and perform like your ego is writing checks your body can’t cash!

Connection Question For Challenge #9

#10: It’s weeks like this in Southern California that remind us of the importance of organizations like the American Red Cross, that offer disaster relief, blood donation services, and regular wildfire safety trainings. To honor the Civil War nurse, Clara Barton, that brought the Red Cross to the US, find any official Red Cross emblem around the area. Once you’ve found one, designate one of your teammates as an “injured soldier”, similar to the ones Clara treated in the battlefield. Then take a picture demonstrating the “correct way to carry an injured soldier”, as referenced in the picture found HERE by soldiers from the 1800’s. If you have a lot of people on your team you can divide up and carry multiple “victims” if you want. Or if you have a small team you can recruit strangers to help out if needed. Make sure the Red Cross emblem is visible somewhere in your picture and then gently lower your victim back down after you’re finished, just like Clara would have done.

Connection Question For Challenge #10

#11: Anywhere around the area, find an establishment that has an animal in it's name and take a fun team picture or video with everyone posing or acting like that specific animal while the establishment’s signage is clearly visible in the background. Please note you’re looking for a place with the animal in it’s actual name such as "The Friendly Giraffe" and not a place that lists an animal as something that is served there such as "Joe’s Fresh Fish".

Connection Question For Challenge #11

#12: Sometimes in business being able to come together with other leaders in the industry or even competitors is what is needed to succeed. DXP has recently made significant strides in expanding its operations through strategic acquisitions, such as BGA and MaxVac this Fall. To complete this challenge you will need to come together with your competitors as well. Coordinate with another team (or multiple teams as needed) and get to the historic Gaslamp archway sign. Once there, have your team members and enough team members from other teams stretch from the base of one side of the sign, across the street, to the base of the other side of the sign while holding hands (or at least close enough to one another that you could be holding hands with arms outstretched). Please note this is an active roadway so you need to take every precaution to complete this challenge safely. Wait until there are no vehicles approaching and have a plan with everyone involved before you attempt it so that you can stretch everyone across, snap a quick picture, and get everyone back to the sidewalks within a few seconds.

Connection Question For Challenge #12

#13: In 2024 Taylor Swift continued to solidify her status as a global music icon, with her Era’s Tour becoming the highest-grossing concert tour in history. To celebrate this legend, anywhere around the area take a team picture with any public digital clock (not a cell phone or personal watch) when the digits add up to Taylor Swift’s lucky number. For example, if her lucky number were 12 (it’s not) then 11:46am would be acceptable because 1+1+4+6=12. Similarly, 3:09pm would also be acceptable, or any other time where the sum of the individual digits equals Taylor’s lucky number. Once you’ve found one, take a fun team picture with it while you all strike your best T-Swift pose, before the time changes and you realize you weren’t Ready For It!

Connection Question For Challenge #13

#14: Get your team to any hardware store around the area. Once there, grab a measuring tape and start measuring employees and shoppers heights (after asking their permission of course) until you find someone that is between 5’4” and 5’8” tall. Then take a fun team picture with your perfectly sized friend and the measuring tape stretched vertically next to them so their height can be verified. If HQ can’t verify the height from a distance you might be asked to take a closer picture of them or film a video actually measuring them.

Connection Question For Challenge #14

#15: Head to Happy Does Bar (340 Fifth Ave) and find an available Cornhole board on their outside patio area. If the boards are being used by someone else you can wait for a turn, or you could incentivize them (round of drinks?) to let you use it briefly. Once you have one, take an unedited video that shows each person on your team throwing one, and only one, beanbag from the traditional standing spot. To complete the challenge successfully you must have at least HALF your team land their one bag on the platform or go through the hole. This challenge is completed as a team, so if you don’t get at least half the bags to successfully land then you all need to attempt it again and record a new video. Please complete the challenge as efficiently as possible in order to keep your video under 60 seconds.

Connection Question For Challenge #15