Campus Support Services Embodies the Team Spirit
Campus Support Services makes up roughly 25 percent of the workforce at Friendship Haven. This includes pharmacy, inventory, IT, maintenance, buildings and grounds, dietary services, laundry and housekeeping, transportation and security. Most who visit Friendship Haven don’t necessarily see many of these employees on a day-to-day basis, largely due to the fact that they are extremely busy making sure campus functions properly and the residents are well cared for. Most are even cross-trained, which means a number of our housekeepers are also CNAs and can assist residents, if needed. This is just one of the many reasons we are so grateful for our campus support service team who go above and beyond each and every day.
When talking to Kelly Hindman, VP of Campus Support Services, it is clear he values and appreciates each and every one of his team members and wants them as individuals, and collectively as a team, to dream big and set goals, most of which they are already achieving and surpassing. “One of my initial thoughts that came to mind when I walked onto campus for the first time was how clean everything was and the smell, or lack thereof,” explains Kelly. “This doesn’t just happen. Our housekeepers are constantly walking the halls, meticulously cleaning and doing what they can to create the best possible atmosphere for our residents and their loved ones.”
Many of the campus support service team members have also been some of the longest employees of Friendship Haven, a feat we are very grateful for and proud of. Mary Jean Ulrich, Laundry and Housekeeping Supervisor, began working part-time at Friendship Haven in February of 1975. “I started by ironing starched, white shirts all day, every day,” Mary Jean describes. “I love to iron!” When asked why she has made her career at Friendship Haven, Mary Jean quickly responds with a smile. “It is the residents! It’s hard to put into words, but there is something so special about each and every one of them. If my laundry staff, who is also CNA cross-trained, is needed in one of the neighborhoods, I want them to go and help. It’s residents first and always.”
Arguably one of the busiest employee teams on campus is maintenance and buildings and grounds. On average, the maintenance team handles roughly 1,140 requests each month. This can be anything from changing out a lightbulb to putting together a new piece of furniture or fixing a broken washing machine. The maintenance men and women receive, on average, 85 requests a day. When we get hit with a heavy snowfall, our buildings and grounds team have 52 townhomes that need driveways cleared and the sidewalks cleaned off. That is in addition to the parking lots and sidewalks that flank our other buildings on campus, and all of this has to be done before other employees and visitors start arriving early in the morning. Dan Dodgen is on the maintenance crew and has been at Friendship Haven for over 20 years. Daily, he goes above and beyond his “job description” helping residents with tasks here and there, getting the job done with a smile and genuine concern for the residents.
Team members like Mary Jean and Dan, who have made their careers at Friendship Haven serve as examples for those who are just beginning theirs. Bryan Beckley, Assistant Network Administrator, is one of those employees who we hope chooses to stay at Friendship Haven for many years to come. “I think I echo the majority of the employees here, when I say the residents are the reason I love my job,” states Bryan. “Coming from a factory setting prior to being employed at Friendship Haven, everything just feels fresh, new, updated and inviting. I have goals I want to see through, from a technology perspective, that would not only benefit the residents, but the employee team as well.”
There are 82 employees make up Campus Support Services. 82 employees come to work each and every day, working tirelessly to ensure our residents and fellow employees have what it needed to go about there day. These men and women genuinely value our residents and want the very best for them. We are grateful for them and appreciate everything they do from changing lightbulbs, to keeping in mind nutritional needs of each resident, to ensuring we have a safe atmosphere to live and work. We salute you, and we thank you.