What I’ve Learned: Amanda Staggs

What was your first experience at Alamon like?

Yeah, so kind of a funny story. I first interviewed with Peg and Frank Gebhardt (Alamon founders) and a whole panel of people. I think it was in ’96. I was fresh out of college. I remember telling Peg, “if you hire me, I will give you 110%”, and she deadpanned, “and we would expect it.” And I was like, “oh, okay.”

Did you get the job?

No, I didn’t. I didn’t have enough experience. So I ended up going to work for a plumbing wholesale business for a couple of years. In ’98, Peg called me out of the blue to check in with me. I was shocked that she kept my resume, but I told her what I’d been doing. She invited me to come in for an interview. I did, and I was hired as a receptionist.

Since then, you’ve done a lot of jobs at Alamon, including helping to write and develop Alamon’s quality manual and quality management system.

Yes. I helped a manager at the time with that system and helped implement it. It was a requirement of one of our biggest customers at the time, Nortel Networks, for us to be TL-9000 certified. I used to have to do a mass quality audit of the entire company by myself, and make sure that all our documents were in compliance.

I also served as an office manager for about five or six years, supervising about 11 administrative assistants. I learned a lot. I have always been pulled into all kinds of different projects and roles here, which I absolutely love.

How important is it to be able to adapt to change at Alamon?

Well, as our industry changes, our employees in the field have to adapt, and we have to adapt here in the office as well. I personally like staying up on what’s new and upcoming in our industry. I love vetting new software and new processes and procedure.

Your current job title is Operations Support Specialist. Tell me about that.

My position is unique. I do have some set tasks that I’m responsible for each week. Mostly informational reporting to provide to Scott (Lawrence, COO) and the operations team. But I really am that support person. Almost like an IT support person, but for operations instead.

Your experience gives you the ability to assist several departments with all kinds of processes. You work closely with operations, accounting, and IT. You also studied business management with an emphasis on computer programming in college?

Yeah. Back in the day when there was dBase IV and DOS. Maybe that’s why I like trying to get into computer programs and break them. There are times with some of our software programs where I can figure out the issues and fix things myself before it even has to get to IT or Accounting.

What do you like most about your job?

I like using the knowledge and skills I’ve developed throughout my years at Alamon to the benefit of others at the company. I’ve gained a certain level of success here, and it is really rewarding if I’m able to use that experience to help others be successful.

I also really enjoy the flexibility of my position. I have the ability to sit down in the morning, figure out my schedule for the day and move things around as needed. It’s not a set, day-to-day, dull schedule.

What do you like most about working at Alamon?

Early on, Alamon had a real family atmosphere. As we’ve grown, that changes a little, but that’s to be expected. But we still really try to do the right thing by all employees. We treat people with respect, and really go out of our way to understand and respect that work-life balance.

Share your thoughts on working at an employee-owned company.

First of all, the ESOP (Employee Stock Ownership Plan) is a great retirement program. I have seen a difference between when we were a profit sharing company versus an ESOP. The gains I’ve seen in the retirement account since we switched over to an ESOP are significant. And the fact that it’s solely employer-contributed (Alamon funds the account on behalf of employees), is a good thing because money isn’t deducted from your paycheck.

Then there’s the culture of being employee-owned. When we all understand that the value of our retirement account is dependent on how well we all do to make Alamon successful, it really drives the success of the company.

Any advice for new employees on how to be successful at Alamon?

Be open to learning. Work hard. Be able to take constructive criticism of your work, and use that information to change whatever you’re doing to meet the task at hand. If you can use that insight to learn the best way to do your job, it will serve you well in your career, and then the sky is the limit.

The nice thing about Alamon is we do a lot of different things. You might start here as, let’s say a pole inspector. You can either move up in that industry, or you can explore moving into another area within Alamon. We have really good managers here that recognize people who have value to the company, and help find where they fit best.

You received the President’s Award for Outstanding Performance. Congratulations!

That was fantastic. And it was a complete surprise. I wouldn’t have thought in a million years that would happen. Especially after I left the company for a while. So it meant a lot to me.

Alamon has always been home. Literally my second home away from home. So it all just kind of came back together for me. And to be in that room with the caliber of people I was up there with was amazing.