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Volume 6; Issue 3 |
April/May 2003 |
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_____________________________________________________________________ Employee Profile: Sue Conover By Stan Ciurczak _____________________________________________________________________ |
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Each month
the Technical Center Intercom features the story of an unsung hero who
makes a special contribution to our organization. Contact Intercom editor Norris Hite (ACH-1) if you would like
to nominate someone to be the subject of a future Employee Profile. “The work has to be
done no matter what,” said Sue Conover, a supervisor with Hiasun, Inc.
Hiasun is a contractor that provides janitorial services to the William J.
Hughes Technical Center. It is her willingness to do whatever it takes to
keep the Technical Center shipshape that makes Mrs. Conover the subject of
this month’s Employee Profile. Mrs. Conover was born in
Stockbridge, MA, but has Life for Mrs. Conover
seems to be going well. She was recently promoted to her current
supervisor’s position and her husband has set out to build his own
business. Everything is stable and the family has established solid roots.
However, this has not always been the case. Approximately 20 years ago,
the family lived in Wyoming where Mrs. Conover’s brother-in-law lived.
While there, she worked in retail and her life as a mother began when Kateri was born. The Conovers later moved
to New Jersey and everyone seemed to find their niche. Originally working
in retail when she moved to the Garden State, Mrs. Conover was in search of a
change. That search led her to the Technical Center where she has remained
for the last 17 years. During that timeframe,
she has worked for a number of contractors including, J.A. Jones and Tecom.
At one point, she was temporarily employed directly for the
Technical Center. Throughout all of the changes, her dedication to the
Technical Center has remained the same. She has been and continues to be a
valued member of the Technical Center family. All Technical Center
employees know that cleaning the entire Center is no small task, but for
Mrs. Conover, it is an important one.
During her employment,
Mrs. Conover has provided service, at one time or another, to every
facility here. When it snows,
you can bet that she will be here to do what is necessary.
She remembers the days when she had to remove snow from the
sidewalks. When thinking about those days, she smiles and says that she is
thankful that is no longer a part of the janitorial contract. When Mrs. Conover
accepted her new position of supervisor, approximately six months ago, she
accepted the responsibility of overseeing 20 to 25 janitors,
including full-time, part-time, and call-in personnel. Her personnel
provide services to the Technical Building and outlying buildings.
“Supervising is challenging but rewarding,” she said. “You get
better results by being nice to people.”
The proof of her philosophy is evident in the fact that many of her
employees willingly offer to help out with extra work when needed. She pointed out that a
number of expansions have occurred at the Technical Center in recent
years. This includes two
Federal Air Marshal buildings, two additional office trailers on the Air
National Guard side of the facility, a trailer to the Aviation Security
Lab, and a host of new offices and services.
New buildings are just one reason that extra work has been created
for Hiasun’s employees in recent years according to Mrs. Conover. She
also says that certain work areas are noticeably messier now than they
were in the past. When asked
how Center employees can help make things a little easier for her
employees, she said it would help if everyone would take pride in, and
good care of, their own work areas. When asked what she likes
best about her job, Mrs. Conover said she likes being around people. While
Mrs. Conover knows how to take care of business, she says that she really
enjoys the people with whom she works. Even during breaks, she enjoys
sitting with her co-workers and listening to what they have to say about
their home lives or anything else they wish to discuss. In plain terms,
she simply cares about her people. While many of the employees work one or
two other jobs in addition to working at the Center, they still are
committed to keeping the Center clean. This positive attitude and
dedication to their jobs is also a reflection of Mrs. Conover. Steve Harritopulos,
on-site manager for Hiasun, described Mrs. Conover as, “responsible,
dependable, punctual, polite and a hard worker.
She has a can-do attitude, is always willing to help and brings
her best to the job everyday.” Currently, she and her staff can be found working the nightshift from 3 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. These behind-the-scenes personnel are helping the Technical Center to be successful by maintaining a safe and effective workplace that allows other employees to stay focused on our organization’s primary mission, which is to help shape the future of aviation.
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