Briefly describe what you do all day (at work). I build relationships, make new friends, help people, drink a lot of coffee, and walk around a lot of properties. Its really a great job…Oh, and maybe a spreadsheet or three.
What’s the best thing about your job? Seeing the impact of our team’s work, making our communities more beautiful.
What’s your favorite thing about the company? Our culture: we treat every teammate as one big family, and we share the good and the bad while helping each other succeed.
What’s your favorite memory at Ruppert? My favorite memory would be spending time will my fellow business development team at Management Development Days (MDD). It’s so nice to actually connect in person with the people that we spend so much time communicating with via phone and email.
What would you do (for a career) if you weren’t doing this? If I weren’t in business development, I would be working as a landscape architect designing projects that we can all enjoy.
Who has been your greatest mentor and why? My Dad was and will always be my greatest mentor. He taught me so many great life lessons as well as how to run a company at every level. Thanks to his lessons, advice and support, I am in a position where I can turn all that knowledge and my education into a career I really enjoy waking up to every day.
What are five words (or less) of advice for others in your profession? Be politely persistent.
What inspires you? I am constantly inspired by the kindness and helpfulness of others.
How do you define success? I see success as never giving up; always taking a step back to evaluate progress and re-tooling as necessary to get results—not allowing stagnation.
What’s the last book you read?Oh, The Places You’ll Go by Dr. Seuss—trying to inspire the next generation to believe in their abilities.
What would you name the autobiography of your life? “You’ll never believe this…”
If you won the lottery, what is the first thing you would do? Depends how big the prize! If it’s a really big lottery, the first thing I would do is plant myself on a warm beach somewhere tropical.
What was the last experience that made you a stronger person? I think spending seven years at home raising three amazing kids has mad me so much stronger than I ever imagined. I have learned many things and became a master of finding fun things to do, multi-tasking and teaching, and picked up some great hobbies along the way.
How do you balance your career and family? I try to always make sure family is first. While I’m working, I try to be as efficient and intentional with my time as possible so I can be afforded the most time with my family. I know how quickly kids grow up and I don’t want to miss anything.
How do you like to spend your free time? I spend my free time outside with family, whether that’s playing sports, gardening, camping, at the lake…We always enjoy being outside in nature.
Do you have any hobbies? Photography, gardening, designing and working with kids.
What is your favorite family tradition? Mealtime is the tradition that is my favorite and one I hope to pass to my children as well. I make sure every evening we have dinner together—no electronics or distractions—and each of us talk about our day, good and bad. There’s a lot of conversation, silliness and sharing at our table.
Where’s your favorite family vacation location? Smith Mountain Lake, VA. It is so peaceful and beautiful. Your tucked into nature, surrounded by a massive man-made lake. There are restaurants on the water and lots of great activities to enjoy, or you just float on a raft all day.
Have you ever had something happen to you that you thought was bad, but it turned out to be for the best? Losing my job during the recession. I thought it was the worst day ever; I was scared and worried and expecting our first child at the same time. Had I not been laid off, then I know that I would not have stayed home to raise my kids and I would have missed some pretty great stuff.
What three traits define you? Persistence, Patience, Caring
