Acme Announces the 2022 Pinnacle Award Winner

When she confirmed up for perform on her to start with day at Acme Brick, Julie Sowards could not have acknowledged her new job was heading to switch into a 38-yr journey to the pinnacle. Even so, that is particularly what has happened.

On March 1, 2022, Acme CEO, Dennis Knautz introduced the winner of what will be an annual award for excellence – The Pinnacle Award. “With this award, we want to recognize an affiliate who has demonstrated a lengthy-expression determination and contribution to the good results of our enterprise. No 1 epitomizes this more than Julie Sowards.”

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An Incredible Profession

“I actually never imagined I would have so a lot enjoyment in a position,” Sowards said. “The expert rewards have been astounding, and in a lot of methods, humbling. Any achievements that I have liked has been the final result of hundreds of other men and women, my mates and colleagues at Acme Brick. They have assisted me, and I have tried out to help them.”

In an overview of what Julie Sowards has attained in her job with this 130-yr-previous firm, Carol Kiburz, Vice President of Human Sources at Acme mentioned, “She started her profession with us as a receptionist and an administrative assistant for Dave Martin and John Harp.   

“Julie’s passion and remarkable intellect authorized her to grow to be a “subject issue expert” (SME) for the Mideast Region (in Springfield, MO). Afterwards, she assumed the job of head SME for the full company. In this part, she handles the teaching and implementation of new guidelines for diverse departments and new hires, which most not too long ago involved the “Smarter Commerce” (a new technique for credit score card processing) program as effectively as purchase entry and pricing investigation for the Midwest region.  

“Julie is the style of affiliate who by no means suggests ‘No’ and is usually there to aid.  She has mentored new associates into their roles by heading to their site in man or woman. Her listing of occupation obligations is nearly endless: payroll, get entry, credit score, dispatch, non-brick order orders, manufactured brick allocations, SME responsibilities, education, mentoring, sales rep help, workplace supervisor, and administration.

“Her perseverance to Acme is 2nd to none,” Kiburz concluded. “Julie is certainly one particular of Acme’s best belongings. We are delighted that she has acquired the 2022 Pinnacle Award!”

Embracing Change

Around the span of her tenure at Acme Brick, Julie has observed a large amount of change and, compared with many workforce who come to feel uncomfortable with a constantly increasing products combine, management technological innovation and customer anticipations, she relishes it.

“The SME’s of our enterprise genuinely embrace transform,” she said. “That’s a component of the occupation description. Our organization management makes selections about more products or new organization technologies that will enrich the expansion of our business, and it’s our task to carefully comprehend it and then encourage this to the area. 

“Ultimately, the experts in each of our places of work make this process function. Hopefully, we do a very good task of mentoring our co-employees and explaining any new observe, but at the conclusion of the day, they provide their immense capabilities and devotion to making certain results. 

“Almost each individual working day, there is some thing altering in our company. It is this type of challenge that can make me psyched to get up and go to perform!”

The 2022 Pinnacle Award winner and 3-many years veteran was requested the evident issue: How has Acme Brick modified in the past 38-many years?

“The major transform is that we’re no extended just a brick enterprise,” Julie mentioned. “The selection and types of items we now offer you run the gamut of the ‘home improvement’ class. 

“This means our product sales associates will have to be properly trained to assist customers recognize the features and advantages of a substantially wider assortment of products – from flooring to outdoor leisure appliances to low routine maintenance landscaping products and solutions. It also suggests our accounting, advertising, provide chain administration, credit rating processes and each individual other facet of our enterprise have to be expanded in purchase to exceed our customers’ anticipations. It’s a massive problem, but these alterations have created us a improved company.”

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