Zach and Gina Houck managed to keep their relationship a secret for six months while they worked at The State News.
They started working in The State News advertising department in fall 2007, where they were friends for more than a year before they started dating, Zach said.
“We had been very close friends, but kind of how typical college relationships start I guess, started at a party with a couple drinks,” Zach said.
They started dating after a Halloween party in 2008 but they kept it “under wraps” because they weren’t sure where it was going.
“It was pretty casual, I guess,” Zach said.
As it became more serious, they told their Ad Manager Candace Barnes—who is featured in this series with her husband, Scott Nowicki—that they were dating, but no one else.
When advertising gave out superlatives, Candace gave Zach and Gina a “most likely to be in a secret office relationship” award.
“It was quite funny, everyone was took by surprise and then Zach planted a big kiss on me in front of everyone, so it was adorably funny,” Gina said.
Working together meant they started as friends, which meant they developed a friendship base before the relationship, Zach said.
“Working at The State News is a ton of fun with a lot of people that have the same passions as you do,” Gina said. “It’s easy and then from there, there’s no pressure. You get to know one another a different way, and one thing led to another.”
After they graduated in May 2009, Zach moved to Chicago for a job. Gina moved home for awhile before she found a job in the middle of the Great Recession, Gina said.
She moved in across the street from Zach in Chicago, and after a few years they moved in together.
They were married in June 2015 and moved to Denver, Colorado in September 2015 for new jobs, Gina said.
Overall, without The State News, the relationship probably would not have happened, Gina said.
“We got to know each other in a non-social environment, how each other worked and just became good friends and supported each other and developed that solid base of friendship before we actually started dating, so it’s actually a huge part of our relationship,” Zach said.
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