It’s obvious she loves her job with the GM Communications group. She is currently heading up an effort called the Vehicle Advocate Program. It involves getting people into GM vehicles and letting them find out for themselves how good the cars and trucks are today. Wendy says, “I always had this dream of getting people in vehicles so that they could make up their own minds and then share the story that they come up with from driving the cars.”

In 2009 she obtained access to some just-launched Chevrolet Camaros and she made arrangements for GM employees to drive them. She says, “(the program) was such a hit that I started reaching out to the other launch teams as we launched the (Chevrolet) Equinox, (GMC) Terrain, (Cadillac) SRX. For the rest of the year we were able to get launch vehicles for the 2010 calendar year into the hands of our employees.” Then she turned her attention outside of GM and partnered with Bob Socia and the Global Purchasing and

Supply Chain team to take vehicles to supplier companies and let their employees see how GM was taking the parts and services they provide to make the world’s best vehicles. Wendy says the suppliers “are one of the keys to the quality of our vehicles. The relationship that we have impacts all of us. So just getting them into our vehicles helps them to see how their finished work looks in our cars.”

In the fall of 2010 Wendy and the Vehicle Advocate Team partnered with Terry Kline’s IT team to put a fleet of GM vehicles in front of a huge non-automotive market, GM’s high tech suppliers in California’s Silicon Valley. Her team brought a fleet of Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac vehicles to employees at HP, Cisco, Google and Oracle. Her fondest dream came true. “It was great to get out to this high tech audience with great vehicles that they were flocking to.” Over the four days in California more than 1,200 high-tech employees drove GM cars and trucks and the response was electric. Yes, they even got to drive the Chevrolet Volt and the Toyota Prius drivers provided some of the most enthusiastic responses.

When she got back from her week in Silicon Valley her husband and sons who were glad to have her home, gave her a little birthday celebration. She says her family is about the only thing that can take her mind off of her job. “I do things with my kids. They are into football and soccer so they keep me busy with that. But my job is really a passion and I think when you have a job that you do every day and it’s your passion you can only help the company do even better.”

Tuning it out: As a noise and vibration engineer, I hear everything in a car. Sometimes, on my drive home, I turn my radio up so I don’t have to listen to things that I am sensitive to.

Table Tennis Anyone? We had a blast doing the Dept. 180 Web videos that show some of the testing we did on the Equinox. Just for the record, we didn’t fill the entire Equinox with 70,957 ping pong balls. We did use 12,000, to fill the cargo area for the video.  I still have the ping pong balls in boxes at Milford in case we figure out another use for them.

A GM Family: I started working at General Motors 11 years ago after graduating in automotive engineering from the University of Michigan. My wife works at GM Powertrain in Pontiac, so we’re a GM family. Our two-year-old son is already a car guy – he loves the Corvette.

I am one of the engineers responsible for noise and vibration on GM compact crossovers — Cadillac SRX, Chevy Equinox and GMC Terrain. In most cases, we’re trying to minimize the noise a driver or passenger hears when they’re in the car. We test the vehicle in all kinds of conditions and on all sorts of roads. We even have a lab at Milford that can simulate rainfall. We use it to evaluate the quality of the sound as the rain hits the roof.

For the new Equinox, our team went to great lengths to make sure it was quiet. We used a number of high-quality materials and designs that kept noise reduction in mind.  In fact, the Equinox uses a technology that allows it to get great fuel economy while sustaining a quiet ride.

In order to keep the vehicle quiet, we turned to Active Noise Cancellation, or ANC. We use small microphones in the vehicle to measure engine noise. The measurements are processed in the guts of the radio, and then the subwoofer sends out a sound wave that reduces the engine noise level in the car. ANC in the Equinox is a sophisticated version of noise cancelling headphones.  It allows the engine to run at low rpm without the noise that traditionally would bother the occupants.

The Equinox has gotten great reviews. The most satisfying review I received came from a college buddy. He’s always been a loyal Ford buyer, and a harsh critic.   While on a business trip in Minnesota, he drove the new Equinox. I got a message from him: “Man this is a pretty nice vehicle.”

I think we’re surprising a lot of people with the new Equinox.

Micky Bly, Executive Director, Electrical Systems, Hybrids, Electric Vehicles and Batteries

Bus driver, move that bus!: One of my biggest passions is renovating houses. It gives me the opportunity to put my engineering chops to the test in a different way and really helps me wind down after a long day.  I’ve remodeled two vintage houses including my current home in Pleasant Ridge, Mich., built in 1912, which won a beautification award from the city in 2006.

Nerd Alert: I love cutting-edge sci-fi and adventure movies. I count Star Wars as one of my favorites (don’t judge!).

Bookworm:I’ll read anything by Clive Cussler, the great American adventure novelist. His stories are exciting and keep you guessing until the end. I guess it doesn’t hurt that he’s a car collector, too.

Put me in, coach!: I love playing any sport, though I can’t say I play any of them well.

I grew up in Augusta , Georgia – home of the Masters Tournament. Even though I’m still a southern boy at heart (I still miss great sweet tea), I consider myself a Detroiter – maybe it’s because I felt drawn to the heart of the automotive industry.  With a passion for tearing things apart, figuring them out and putting them back together, I decided to study mechanical engineering at Georgia Tech. After a four-year stint as a student intern, I began my full-time career with GM in 1990, as a Powertrain Development and Validation engineer.

Over the last 19 years I’ve been doing a lot of tearing apart, figuring out and putting back together.  One of my first assignments was with the Small Block V8 engine group, where I was the Lead Development engineer for the iconic Corvette Small Block V8 engine. We were able to take a very good engine with a lot of history and make it a great engine with more performance and reliability.

In 1997, I made my way across the ocean to England to work as an Engine Management Systems engineer for the Ecotec L4 – GM’s global four-cylinder engine program. This was my first experience with working towards making globally sustainable transportation a reality.

After a second global assignment in Germany, I moved around in Powertrain back in Michigan until 2006, where I became the director of Global Hybrid Integration and Controls where I managed teams responsible for the development of our multiple hybrid vehicles. We made sure all of the components – from the engine, transmission, brakes and batteries to the computers and the software that run electronic controls – came together seamlessly and as a result, I’m proud to say, our work was recognized with honors like the 2008 Chevy Tahoe Hybrid, which was named Green Car Journal’s “Green Car of the Year.”

Today, I oversee the development of hybrid, plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles, including the Chevrolet Volt’s vehicle integration and battery development – yet another big step towards sustainable transportation. What does that mean? Well, I’m responsible for the strategy, planning and execution for most things electrical on our vehicles. Right now, the Volt is where we are focusing the majority of our attention. It’s exciting for me to see a car that, just a few years ago, was only a concept and now I’m part of team that’s working to bring it to market. I’m so proud of how much the team has evolved. The talent that has been brought on board is amazing. We have the best and brightest working around the clock to ensure this vehicle will be a success.

I feel so blessed to have a career I love and family that supports what I do. In fact, I think I may even have two future engineers on my hands. My eight-year-old son Ethan is already a car buff and he can’t wait to see which new car I’ll bring home. He greets me with a huge smile and a curious twinkle in his eyes that I recognize very well!  And my ten-year-old daughter Emily is already talking about engineering school.  Who knows? Maybe someday they’ll both be working on a new concept vehicle that could change the industry and make their old man’s work seem obsolete.

(L-R) MSgt. Stackable (USAF), Steve Harrison (GM), Mike Bachleda (UAW), Wayne Tanis (UAW), Roxy Tanis (Spouse) and Lynne Waldron (UAW)

Recently, we were traveling to an IBM software conference in Nevada, which was focusing on GM’s maintenance management software of choice, MAXIMO. MAXIMO helps prevent problems before they happen, which is always our goal.

Just north of the conference is Nellis Air Force Base. They have a team of maintenance folks, much like ours… in areas like hydraulics, equipment repair, electro-mechanical, avionics, jet engine and more. And we had connections.

As a retired member of the Air Force, I contacted the Nellis public affairs office before the conference, to set up a collaborative meeting with the ‘Ambassadors in Blue,’ the United States Air Force Aerial Demonstration Squadron, The Thunderbirds.

One reason for our visit was to give our UAW-GM team another perspective on what standardized work looks like. We know that preventive maintenance results in better vehicle quality by avoiding the quality problems that arise from the stops-and-starts of machine downtime/start-up cycling, so what better opportunity is there than to learn what the best of the best are doing in this field?

During our meeting, we had a long discussion on how the supply chain operates, also known to us in GM as indirect material procurement. There were some slight variances, but overall we operate in very similar ways with spare parts and even similar ‘share the spare’ processes.

It was great to witness the expressions of both teams when we discussed common subjects of interest, such as frequency of scheduled inspections and time change repair actions. Lynne Waldron (UAW) and Wayne Tanis (UAW) explained that GM uses time based, hour meter readings and I talked about how stamping operations use stroke based maintenance to schedule tasks on presses and dies.

MSgt. Stackable nodded and smiled, stating that the US Air Force uses variations of the same scheduling tools. Jet engines are inspected generally by total run hours, however, some components of the engine are based on cycle counts; which equates to each engine start being a cycle.

Mike Bachleda (UAW) asked MSgt. Stackable, “What types of maintenance problems are entered into your maintenance management system,” and he replied: “All of them, no matter how minor the deficiencies.” That’s impressive.

On the drive back to the hotel, Mike summed it up best: “if you want to see the best of the best in maintenance, look at America’s military services, in particular the United States Air Force.”

We were also privy to recovery operations of the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds Commander and Flight Leader.  As Lt. Col. Cunningham departed his aircraft, he stopped by and introduced himself to our group, and took the time to state the importance of having a maintenance program that is stringent, is repeatable and has integrity built in to its fabric.  Top down and bottom up commitment to maintenance excellence.

In addition, we were able to represent the UAW and GM as a joint team of maintainers to meet cream of the crop maintainers that represent the hundreds of thousands of maintainers that protect and serve this great country of ours, and the freedoms that we as fellow Americans cherish; and to say thank you.

Debbie Jones, UAW Local 362 (GM employee for 33 years!)

The most interesting experience I’ve had at GM was working at the Fort Wayne Assembly Plant. We were the first to see whenever new paint colors came out or any redesigns of vehicles. I feel like I’ve come full circle now. I started at Bay City and hopefully I’ll end my career here – going full circle.

GM just announced $10.5 million investment at Bay City, part of a $500 million total investment between the Tonawanda Engine plant, Defiance Foundry and us. We are thrilled that GM has shown this level of confidence in us.

I spend my weekends attending my son Matt’s sporting events, like basketball and baseball. I also love to visit gourmet food stores and shop for different olive oils and wines from around the world. I do like to cook, with lasagna being my specialty.

As diligent as I am about my health, I’m also very motivated about the quality of my work. I have to sign my initials on everything I check that goes out the door, and I don’t want anything with my name on it to come back! Bay City employees really care about the customers and we’ll do whatever it takes to provide the best quality parts possible.

Tom leads a team that makes vehicle cockpits safe, easy and pleasing to use

Thomas Seder, Group Manager, Human-Machine Interface Group

 

Interfacing:  I joined GM in 2006, in our research and development organization, to run our Human-Machine Interface Group. 

Role playing: If you look at how our customers interact with GM, most people will think of things like websites, dealers and advertising – and that’s very important.  But what I work on is improving how our customers interact with their vehicles, in a safe, yet enjoyable manner.

My team helps validate and develop technologies to make the driving experience enjoyable, while assuring that motorists keep their focus on the road.  We work with our design and engineering groups to test and validate new interior electronic interfaces – like navigation system operation, radio controls and other infotainment-based tasks. And we do it within hours of their development thanks to the use of a high-tech simulator, which uses seven Christie high-definition projectors (the same used at your favorite movie theater) to create a virtual roadway of scenarios to see if drivers are distracted by the way controls and gauges are laid out in the vehicle cockpit.

I think I bring an interesting perspective to the job.  Before coming to GM, I spent nearly a decade developing avionics systems for commercial airplanes, including the Boeing 747-400, 767-400, 777 and some of the initial concepts for the cockpit of the 787 Dreamliner.  It may seem like a long leap to go from developing the layout of electronics in the cockpits of airplanes to the cabin of a passenger car, but understanding the behavior of vehicle drivers is far more complex than that of airplane pilots, not to mention the fact that our team has to cater to a number of different vehicle brands.

Boeing did not brand their interfaces, so in my past life I did not have to worry about brands.  At GM, a Cadillac interface has to express the design language of the brand.  Likewise, pilots are trained to use the electronics in the cockpit during very defined procedures, but in a car, the driver’s context is always changing, so developing interfaces for vehicles is much more challenging.

My knowledge of avionics is helping GM develop advanced technology solutions that could make driving even safer in the future.  A recent development is the full windshield head-up display system, which turns the windshield of the vehicle into a “enhanced vision system.”  Using an array of camera and sensor systems on the vehicle, the driver can be alerted to potential dangers that lie ahead.  Driving in fog, for instance, a driver may find it hard to know where the edge of the road is.  Using sensors, the vehicle can identify the road edge and project it virtually onto the windshield.  For navigation assistance, the windshield can highlight names of locations on street signs to help improve accuracy and, when you arrive at your destination, the building or house can be outlined on the windshield.  When the system says ‘you have arrived,’ you will know exactly where that is.

My team is busy working to assure that future GM cars and trucks are the safest, yet most enjoyable, from the cockpit standpoint.  If the work we do does not provide the experience that the customer has come to expect, then we have failed.

When I’m not toiling away in the lab, I enjoy working out, running, doing basically anything that revolves around fitness and nutrition.  I also enjoy reading and recently finished Richard Ogle’s Smart World: Breakthrough Creativity and the New Science of Ideasand enjoys revisiting Henry William Chesborough’s Open Innovation: The New Imperative for Creating and Profiting from Technology.  

Secretly, I like to jam out to hip-hop music; I admit that Tupac Shakur is one of my favorite artists.  Good thing I’m equally hard-core about improving the driving experience!

Whitney Krause, Assistant Program Manager for Chevrolet Equinox

Close to home:  I am from a large GM family, and knew as a kid that I wanted to work for GM at the Warren Tech Center.  I wasn’t sure in what capacity at the time. I just knew that I wanted GM in my future.

Outside Interests:  I am a mother of two teenagers, so most of my time is dedicated to raising them, which includes exhausting shuttling services to and from hockey, football and dance competitions.  Spending so many hours in a car driving kids gives me the perfect opportunity to give input from a mom’s perspective on the features and functions needed in a vehicle that our customers also want.  When time allows, and in between the kids’ schedules, I cherish the time spent with friends trying out the latest restaurants, or just soaking up the sun and the laughs up in northern Michigan.

Favorite Features:  It is really difficult to pick my favorite Equinox feature.  32 mpg highway on the 4 cyl. is certainly impressive, and the quiet cabin is segment leading. The seat comfort is great for an aching back, but if I had to choose a feature I am most proud of, I would narrow it down to the rear-vision camera.  It is located in the inside rear view mirror, or in the Nav. screen (depending on the how the vehicle is ordered).  Although this feature has been available in other high-end models, the Equinox is the first in its segment to offer this feature.  We felt this vehicle would have a high percent of female buyers who would consider this feature a wow factor, and others alike as well.

I began my GM career as a manufacturing engineer in 1994 (at the Warren Tech Center, just as I predicted as a kid). In 2005, I began work on the original Equinox, and then moved to work on the 2010 Equinox about three years ago.  My team and I were all thrilled that Equinox was one of three finalists for North American Truck of the Year. We’re also pleased to see it doing so well in the marketplace with strong sales.

When we started working on the new Equinox, we wanted to make sure we did it right. We wanted to make a vehicle that consumers wanted and would get excited about. We wanted to make a vehicle to meet all of their needs. By that, I mean everything from fuel economy and safety to the comfort of the seats, and enough cubbies for storage.

We went to great lengths to design the vehicle for a wide range of customers, including women in high heels and mothers with young children. The acceleration pedal is angled so it’s more comfortable for women driving in heels. We made sure to include lights in the visor mirror. When you’re trying to put on lip gloss for dinner in a dark parking lot, you need a light and you need it to be discrete. You don’t want to turn on the dome light.  Making lit sun visors standard equipment is small addition to the vehicle, but a huge dissatisfier if it is not there that our male co-workers may or may not understand.

We also insisted on having a rear-vision camera available on Equinox. Originally, it was not part of our vehicle content, but during the vehicle development, the “Today Show” and “Oprah” ran segments on the dangers of vehicles backing up on small children. I brought tapes of those segments to one of our team meetings. I don’t think there was a dry eye in the room. Because of the passion of our team, we decided that we had to make rear-vision cameras available on our vehicles.

It was all of the little things that our team did that made sure the interaction between the driver and vehicle was a good fit. I could not be more proud of how everyone on the team worked together to create a vehicle that meets the needs of so many consumers.

Christina McLain visited a supplier and worked on the line to get to know her customers better

Christina McLain, Senior Buyer, Floor Consoles Midsize Crossovers, Global Purchasing and Supply Chain, Warren

Outside the Office: When I am not working on homework for my master’s degree, I like to run 5K’s during the warmer months. I also enjoy going to concerts by Lady Gaga to Kid Rock. I love to bake; I’m always baking something and putting my spin on it, always trying to make a healthier version of sweet treats. My husband is a car guy and is always teaching me anything related to cars and engines whenever he has the chance. As long as I have known him, he has been a huge GM fan and part of the reason I decided to work for GM. We have two cats, Gizmo and Jynxy.

From Supplier to Buyer:  I graduated from Kettering University in 2002 with a BS in Mechanical Engineering and did my five-year co-op at Dow Automotive in Auburn Hills, Mich. After graduating, I worked at ZF Lemforder for three years as a supplier quality engineer for chassis components. While there, I worked on different lines in the plant to get familiar with the parts and the processes.  I joined GM in 2008 as a Senior Supplier Quality Engineer in Powertrain and was responsible for valvetrain and exhaust after treatment. Last October, I joined the purchasing group as Senior Buyer in Floor Consoles.

Back to the Future: As the newest person to our group, my director, Chris Naegeli, asked me to be the first GM buyer to take part in a new training program to work directly with Johnson Controls and Android Industries, the suppliers we buy from to see how the commodities we buy are made. I was excited. I thought ‘This is an awesome idea’ because when I was at ZF Lemforder, I really liked working on the line because it really helped me learn the parts. Once I arrived, both were very welcoming and very excited. People there were shocked and surprised that someone from a customer would want to come and work on the line.

It’s About the Relationships:  I think what was great about doing this was the chance to not only learn my parts but get to know some of the people who are making them. I was really able to build on my relationships with the suppliers. This experience also helps me look for additional cost savings and also helped me really learn each component of the floor consoles and how they are assembled together.

Keeping Up:  When I was at Android, it reminded me of that ‘I Love Lucy’ episode where Lucy and Ethel are working in the bakery on the cake line. We were building consoles in sequence for just-in-time delivery to the Lansing Delta Township plant. The line is moving so quickly, I definitely had moments like that. It was a challenge to assemble the consoles at line speed, but every one passed in-line quality checks, so I guess I did OK.

What’s Next? I am pursuing my Masters degree through the University of Michigan and the GM Technical Education Program. I’m in my second year of the Energy Systems Engineering Master Program, where I hope I can make a difference by learning about alternative energy and applying that knowledge at GM.

Nancy Laubenthal

Editor’s Note: Today is a big day for GM — and for the auto industry: exactly three years after we revealed the Chevy Volt concept car, we announce production on the Volt battery at our facility in Brownstown, Michigan (see our press release for details). To mark the occasion, we want to share two stories about the people who are responsible for launching the battery: Nancy Laubenthal, the plant manager, and Marisol McCormick, the operations manager. Take a look below and let us know what you think!

Nancy Laubenthal: Plant Manager, Brownstown Battery Assembly Plant 

Pop the cork: I guess you could say I’m a wine enthusiast. I’ve tasted wine from around the world and truly appreciate all types. But my collection is getting a little too big because I haven’t had much time to enjoy them!

Move to the beat: I love to run, so when I’m hitting the pavement, I need some fast-paced music to keep me going. Right now, I’m listening to Lady Gaga and the Black Eyed Peas.

Twilight Junkie: I’ve read three out of the four books in the Twilight series and I am hooked! I recently saw New Moon and loved it. (I’m sure I’ll be hearing from my coworkers on this one!)

My journey with General Motors started in 1985 as a student. After graduating from Cornell University with a bachelor and master’s degree in chemical engineering, I was offered an internship within GM’s paint and polymers engineering department. Since then, I’ve held various positions.  At the Lansing Grand River Assembly Plant I helped start up the new paint shop and launch the Cadillac CTS, and at Flint Assembly, I managed paint and general assembly.

In 2007, I was offered a great opportunity – to take an assignment as the Director of General Motors Europe Paint & Polymers Center in Ruesselsheim, Germany. Some people might have thought twice about packing up and moving across the world. Not me – I packed my bags. In Germany, I led a team that supported new environmental advancements in paint technology. I also had the privilege of spending about 4 months in Russia where we were building a new paint shop.

After two years overseas, I received a phone call about this amazing opportunity to come back to the U.S. to start up the new Brownstown Battery Assembly Plant, where the batteries for the Chevrolet Volt would be manufactured. How could I pass that up?

The position allows me to take all of the elements of my job that are appealing and exciting, like manufacturing, engineering and advanced technology, and use them to help bring to life a concept that will revolutionize the industry.

A few months ago, our plant wasn’t much more than an empty warehouse. During this startup phase, my job entails overseeing the installation of machinery and equipment as well as hiring and training the team that will run the plant on a day-to-day basis. We’re running a really lean team which requires each of us to wear several different hats to make sure we can accomplish our goals. It’s all hands on deck, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.  Helping bring this battery technology to market so quickly and efficiently will certainly be one of my biggest accomplishments.

When I’m not at the plant, you’ll probably find me somewhere halfway across the world. Once a year, my friends and I choose a destination to discover. But we’re not just sightseers. We like to really explore and experience all that each region has to offer. We’ve hiked glaciers, paraglided in the Alps, and ran a 16K near the Eiffel Tower. I’m always looking for the next adrenaline rush. In fact, my next goal is to hike Mt. Kilimanjaro someday soon – well, probably after the Volt is in production.  I’m kind of busy right now.

Marisol: ready for Trick or Treating

Marisol McCormick, Operations Manager, Brownstown Assembly Plant

On my iPod: My iPod is pretty much a modern-day juke box. I like a little bit of everything, but lately I’ve been listening to Lady Gaga, Iyaz, Jordin Sparks and Boys Like Girls.

And, we’re off!: One of my favorites things to do is to just start driving with no real destination in mind. I’ll pack up the family and go on a search for an eclectic restaurant or the biggest ball of yarn – anything, as long as we don’t have a schedule. 

Giddy-up: Give me some boots and chaps and I’m one happy woman. Horseback riding is such a fun thing to do with my family. In fact, I’m teaching my daughter, Mackenzie, how to ride. She’s only two, but she’s already developed my love for horses.

Sweat it Out: Whether I’m on the treadmill or sashaying on the dance floor, I love being active and getting the blood flowing!

I was born and raised in West Africa, so when people ask me if I always knew I’d wind up working in the auto industry, the answer is no! My family moved to the U.S. when I was 15 and my parents began working in the auto industry for, dare I say it, a GM competitor. That’s when I realized I wanted to become an engineer. I’ve always loved math and I’m a real people-person, so I thought industrial engineering was a good fit for me. It would allow me to collaborate with people to do the work I love.

I received my bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering (with a minor in mechanical engineering) from Purdue University in Indiana. While I was in school, I became a member of the Society of Women Engineers, a non-profit group that empowers women to succeed and advance in the field. As part of one of our fundraisers, we were required to pull together engineering resume books and deliver them to companies across the region. I was dumbfounded when I received a call from GM saying they wanted to interview me. I was sure they had the wrong person, but I agreed to an interview anyway – it was a once in a lifetime opportunity!

I’ve been with GM for about 11 years now and have dabbled in a few different departments including industrial engineering, quality control and production supervision. I began my career working in a metal fabrication plant in Marion, Ind. After three years, I was offered an opportunity to go to Lansing, Mich., to start up a new stamping plant. With the knowledge I gained in lean manufacturing and quality, I was given the opportunity to become the Operations Manager at the Brownstown assembly plant, my current position.

We’re working fast and furious to build the battery that will be used in the Chevy Volt and it’s my job to maintain the safety of the plant while streamlining operations so that our customers get a quality product, on time. It’s a really exciting time for us because we’re the pioneers in this space. We’re working with new technology and new equipment – there’s nothing like it yet in this industry.

When I’m not working, I’m very active in the community as well as my church. I feel very blessed to be where I am today, so whether it’s working at a food shelter or running a clothes drive, I like to give back any way I can. In fact, this past holiday season, instead of exchanging gifts at work, I encouraged everyone to chip in and support a local family. We went to our local Chamber of Commerce and were given the information for a family in need. We were able to provide them with many necessities over the holiday season including clothes, food and toys for the little ones.

To think of how far my family and I have come over the last few decades is truly amazing. They couldn’t be more supportive of me and my work. In fact, my dad can’t even talk about it without his eyes welling up with tears. How lucky am I?