Marie and Rusty are always happy to recognize employees who reach important milestones at Southgate Coins. This time, Nicole Hoff is the recipient of a special honor.
In the past two years, I (Marie) have watched Nicole change from a girl who lived at home with her parents to a young woman who now lives on her own, continues her pursuit of a college degree, and maintains a responsible position at Southgate Coins.
In Nicole’s first year, she learned the basics of being a frontline assistant. For the past year, she has been training new girls in the basics, which has brought her to a new level. Management skills are a valuable commodity as a person learns how to develop new employees so they can reach their potential. Nicole has been very involved in the management side of our business in recent months. She and Maya have been working to implement the Manager Training Manual that Rusty designed.
The patient, thorough way Nicole teaches the new girls impresses me. She stresses important points and doesn’t skip crucial steps. She makes sure each girl has an opportunity to succeed and gain confidence in her job. When training others, managers must also make sure they finish their own projects while they oversee trainees. Nicole knows that this can get tricky, and tries hard to keep her duties in balance.
Nicole has a no-nonsense approach to life and, at times, it can take you off-guard. She’s a pretty girl and she has a pleasant demeanor. Yet, sometimes without warning, she’ll call something squarely as she sees it, or “cut through the crap.” Always taken by surprise, we just all crack up.
Nicole has an expressive, artistic side to her. She draws some great images, and she has become our resident birthday and special occasion card decorator.
Nevertheless, with all her beauty, brains, and talent, the thing I like most about Nicole is her authenticity. When I ask her about what’s going on in her life or how she’s doing, she isn’t vague or pretentious. She describes what she’s dealing with and makes me feel I can share in it. This allows me to be honest in return, and we have become two people who actually know each other and can offer a bit of support.
The last two years working with Nicole have been a pleasure. I count her as a friend and hope she works for us as long as she can.
Now here’s Rusty to add his comments:
Thanks Marie.
I (Rusty) saw a major transformation take place in Nicole’s life over the past year in the way she accepted responsibility at work. This happened at a time when many girls her age, with less fortitude, might have crashed and burned. Nicole experienced some personal struggles in 2010 and Marie and I wondered if these challenges would affect her job performance or, even worse, cause her to quit. We are proud of her for taking control of her disruptive behind-the-scenes road bumps and staying on track to complete this year’s college courses, and, bring her A-game to work, consistently. It’s been a joy to watch her overcome obstacles, maintain a commendable grade-point average, and blossom as an employee.
Nature blessed Nicole with physical beauty, but her humble spirit shields her from letting her good looks turn her into a stuck-up, aloof person. Although she embraces her glam appeal, she doesn’t flaunt it, and this makes everyone around her feel comfortable.
I remember Nicole’s response this year to a question asked by a newspaper reporter who wrote an article about Southgate Coins’s feminine culture. She told him she enjoys working at a job where people take her seriously. I know that from the newest girls at Southgate, whom Nicole has helped to train, to in-store customers, Web site clients, phone callers, Maya, Marie and me, Nicole has assurance she is taken seriously, and is respected.
Nicole occasionally tells Marie and me how much she’s learned working at Southgate Coins, and how grateful she is for the opportunity. She, of course, can only make such observations from the perspective of a 20-year-old girl, who had little employment history before we hired her. Marie and I, on the other hand, view Nicole’s progress over the past two years from the vantage point of seasoned business owners, who have seen dozens of employees come and go. We are pleased to report she ranks right near the top of the list of favorite girls who have worked for us.
Thank you Nicole, for the two dedicated years you have given us at Southgate Coins. We hope you are glad you saw our posting on UNR’s job board back in December 2008 and applied for the position. We know we are.
Rusty and Marie Goe