Service Coordinator Emily Shannon knew she was making the right career move the moment she walked in for her interview at CertaPro Painters of Northwest Indiana. As a people-person with a strong set of values always up for learning something new, she clicked instantly with the CertaPro team. Her interview lasted three hours complete with friendly conversation regarding future employment at the company, and she left feeling confident that she just met the management team she was looking for to help her succeed in a service role she loves.
“I loved their values. I sat down with Mark Powers and John Jordan in my first interview and immediately felt that they have the same vision for the company that I would want a leader and a business to have,” Emily said. “It was an all-around good environment. I felt welcomed; I felt like they were going to give me the support and the structure that I needed to be successful in a service role.”
Shortly thereafter, Emily was hired on for the job. As a service coordinator, much of Shannon’s work involves interacting with various groups of people, whether that be customers and clients or the painting crews. Additionally, Emily handles a majority of the scheduling and oversees projects once they’re turned over from the salesperson until completion, a portion Shannon admits is something she’s quite fond of.
“I get a sense of gratitude knowing that our clients are happy. I think there's something about giving someone else that satisfaction and then hearing feedback from the customer or helping them through their concerns to get to a good outcome. That's one of those things that really does bring me a sense of gratitude and satisfaction – knowing that we help someone pretty much transform their entire house or a room or something that is important to them,” Emily said.
The most enjoyable part for Emily, however, has been the camaraderie she’s built with her coworkers throughout the time she’s been at CertaPro. Emily began this position in December of 2022, and in just two months, she already has plenty of fond memories she looks back on with a smile.
“I got to experience the Christmas parties, and I also went to a conference in January. We went out to San Diego for about a week and did a lot of training and discussed best practices in the industry. There were a lot of people–the conference was the annual CertaPro Painters consisting of franchises throughout U.S and Canada. I had a really great time with our team meaning John, Mark, and our sales manager, Dan Tirpak. I got some really great bonding time with those guys, and it was just so much fun.”
Looking ahead, Emily is excited to create more moments such as these while expanding upon her skills. While Emily has a background in scheduling and managing field staff, doing so in the painting world is a brand new experience for her. However, with Jordan, Powers, Tirpak, and the rest of the team at CertaPro help, she guarantees doing so will be a fun challenge she’s looking forward to.
“As long as you have the right leadership in place and you have the drive to want to do it, everyone can grow when you're in a new environment," Emily said. "There's things that you're constantly learning every day. There are different scenarios that might come up that have different outcomes, and I have to figure out how to navigate them. I feel like I'm constantly learning, and this is just another new challenge.”
In her time away from work, Emily noted she’s a big fan of the outdoors and can normally be found camping or hanging out in her garden. Emily and her fiancé also enjoy traveling and taking trips with their two furry companions: dogs Hawk and Goose. A Virginia native, Emily also enjoys visiting with family and friends back home when the time allows.
For more information on CertaPro Painters of Northwest Indiana, visit its website here: certapro.com/nwi
