A Note from the VP, Jim Greatorex: August 2022

Published in Home Modifications on August 24, 2022

As many of you saw last month, we had a note from our colleague here at VGM Live at Home Jessica Barber, in which she let the membership know she was moving on to another position here at VGM. Jessica has had a role here at LAH from almost the very beginning. Her father, Jerry Keiderling, was the original leader here, and together they were able to develop a role for her to help the department grow. When Jerry stepped down and I was asked to come in, Jessica was the teammate I was given to help the continued growth and development of this VGM community. She turned out to be the perfect match for what was needed to match my skill set. In other words, she is exceptional at what I stink at! Her attention to detail and organizational skills has enabled our division to experience rapid growth, especially in the last two and half years. We have started and completed many projects together and have many more in the works that will bring much value to the membership. In dating myself, for those of you old enough to have watched the TV show MASH, Jessica was our Radar O’Reilly in knowing what needed to be done before it was even a thought in my head. Jessica got it done!

Beyond what she did for the business, it has been a pleasure to watch Jessica grow as a mother, wife, friend, young woman, and fellow associate. It was a privilege to watch her family grow as young Max was added to her family in 2019. I also watched as she met the huge, overwhelming challenge of having two young children at home and a full-time job during the pandemic. I think many of you met Max virtually during that time! Through it all, Jessica’s perspective was to find the positive, put a smile on her face, and make lemonade. She is moving over to a great opportunity with our web development company Forbin, and while we miss her, we look forward to watching her continue to grow professionally with our friends there one floor below us. If you want to send her a note, her new email address is JBarber@forbin.com.

Ah, but all is not lost! We are excited to welcome Samantha Timmons to the team. Samantha comes to us from a local health system, Unity Point, where she ran their employee education division. She has a Master’s in Business Administration and a Bachelor of Arts in Public Relations. As of this writing, she is in her first week here and is picking things up very quickly. She is excited to work with our members and corporate partners and will be in Tampa to meet you in November. She lives here locally in Waterloo with her husband and five dogs! We are very happy to have her in house and have no doubt she will bring exceptional service with a smile to you, our valued members. She can be reached at Samantha.Timmons@vgm.com or 877-404-2442. 

The finishing touches have been made to our exciting agenda for the Building Opportunities Summit November 10-12 at the Westshore Grand Hotel in Tampa, FL. The theme is Together – Defining, Professionalizing and Maximizing the Home Access Industry.  Join 100-125 Home Access Executives and Managers at this can't-miss event. Learn more and register here.

Having key people move on is always sad as you will miss them, but you are happy to see them take on a new challenge. Having new faces join your mission brings with it a new spark and excitement.

The future looks bright. Thanks for your membership and the great work you do in the communities that you serve.