Apple has chosen to feature the Sandboxx app in their App Store for the third Veterans Day in a row in 2020. This distinction is particularly meaningful for Sandboxx, as Veterans Day not only marks an important day for the numerous veterans and military spouses on the team, it’s also the anniversary of the company launching its first app in 2014.
“This recognition means a lot because Apple reviews companies’ designs, engineering, marketing, engagement levels, customer feedback, etcetera when making a decision,” explained Sandboxx CMO, Shane McCarthy.
“Their editorial team is very selective. Sandboxx has over 35,000 five star reviews on our iOS app alone, with 10 times industry average engagement levels. This is a testament to the work that the team does every day.”
Sandboxx has grown rapidly over the past six years, first becoming a hit among Marine Corps families, and then expanding throughout every branch of service shortly thereafter. Today, Sandboxx has delivered more than 5 million letters to service members at basic training installations all around the country, with the tally increasing by thousands each and every day.
“Sandboxx’s main mission is keeping our service members connected to their loved ones like never before,” Sandboxx’s Operations Manager Robert Vigil explained. Vigil, a Marine infantry veteran, is one of many Sandboxx employees with direct ties to America’s military.
“We are continually working on how to better complete this mission.”
Eventually, Sandboxx’s success with its Letters service led to expansion into other venues, from offering low-cost travel to service member’s families to attend basic training graduations, to the launch of Sandboxx News, aimed at informing and inspiring a new generation of service members and their families. Throughout all of its rapid growth, Sandboxx’s focus has remained squarely on the military community — seeking ways to “do good by doing good,” as Sam Meek, who serves as the company’s CEO, often reminds the team.
Sandboxx’s ties to the military community don’t stop with the service member. An equal emphasis is placed on engaging with those who support their recruits or trainees throughout their military journey. Sandboxx offers family members and loved ones detailed breakdowns of what their new service member is doing at basic training on a week-by-week basis, helping bridge the gap between the service member’s experiences and the understanding of those they love.
The result is families who are better equipped to support their loved ones in the military than ever before, which has led to a marked reduction in attrition during basic training. Service members with support succeed — and Sandboxx prides itself on playing a role in that exchange.
“Being a part of a company that works with the military community to connect loved ones makes me feel like I am doing my part to help spouses like me,” Rebecca Bender, Sandboxx’s newest teammate, explained. Like many members of the Sandboxx team, she too is a military spouse.
This year has been rife with challenges for everyone, including those serving in the United States military, but amid the chaos of 2020, America’s Armed Forces were there to support their country in ways too numerous to count. From Marines sprinting oxygen tanks to COVID patient’s ambulances trapped in New York City traffic to Soldiers risking their lives to stop active shooters, our men and women in uniform have consistently been there for the American people in our times of need.
That selflessness and devotion to duty is just a part of what makes Sandboxx proud to serve the military community — a community that’s woven into the very fabric of the company.
