{"id":11488,"date":"2018-02-14T11:00:16","date_gmt":"2018-02-14T19:00:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.palada.net\/index.php\/2018\/02\/14\/news-5259\/"},"modified":"2018-02-14T11:00:16","modified_gmt":"2018-02-14T19:00:16","slug":"news-5259","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.palada.net\/index.php\/2018\/02\/14\/news-5259\/","title":{"rendered":"Together at Home and at Work: Meet Some of Our Schneider Couples"},"content":{"rendered":"

Credit to Author: Kristen Larsen| Date: Wed, 14 Feb 2018 13:00:56 +0000<\/strong><\/p>\n

The night before I started working at Schneider Electric I remember lying in bed feeling anxious, wondering what my new job was going to be like.\u00a0 It was 2011 and I was 22 years old and about to start my first real office job after college. \u00a0A thousand questions rushed through my mind.\u00a0 Am I going to be good at my job?\u00a0 Was it going to be easy to make friends?\u00a0 Would I enjoy being in corporate America? \u00a0Would I fall in love?<\/em><\/p>\n

…Just kidding – the last thing on my mind was meeting the person I’d spend the rest of my life with. \u00a0But that\u2019s exactly what happened.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Our 2013 EPN Community Impact team at a Habitat for Humanity site<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

In college I had been involved in many different extracurricular activities, and I wanted to be sure to get involved at Schneider.\u00a0 One of our business resource groups<\/a> is the Emerging Professionals Network (EPN).\u00a0 The EPN hosts professional development sessions as well as social networking events to help improve employee engagement and increase the opportunity for communication between emerging professionals and senior leadership.\u00a0 This group started in West Kingston, RI with just a handful of people and has expanded to over 15 locations across North America.<\/p>\n

I joined the group and became involved right away, volunteering to help with advertising for upcoming events.\u00a0 I had a marketing degree and enjoyed graphic design, and I was partnered up with the current marketing chair, Chris Larsen, to help brainstorm new ideas for drumming up involvement.<\/p>\n

Chris and I started off as coworkers bonding over our joint passion for marketing and giving back on our Community Impact team<\/a>, quickly became friends and shortly after started officially dating.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Chris and I were married in 2015, surrounded by many of our Schneider Electric coworkers who had become some of our closest friends.\u00a0 Over the years we have both grown tremendously in our professional careers, being promoted to new jobs in different business units and departments, and we were even both working in HR (our desks were 15 feet away from each other) for almost a year.<\/p>\n

Now Chris works as a Global Program Manager for Strategic Accounts and I am a Social Media Specialist for our North America Employee Branding Team. \u00a0Personally, I really enjoy working in the same office as my husband.\u00a0 On a busy day it\u2019s great to be able to take break together for lunch.\u00a0 When I\u2019m nervous about a big presentation I can send him a quick Skype message for some last-minute encouragement.\u00a0 On the rare occasion when we bump into each other in the hallway it\u2019s nice to see his smile.\u00a0 \u00a0I ask his feedback when dealing with challenging situations, and he helps to think outside the box.\u00a0 Chris has a very analytical mind, and I secretly love to listen to him on conference calls and hear how he manages his projects and team.<\/p>\n

When asked about what he likes about working in the same office as his wife, Chris replied \u201cBeing able to immediately see Krissy if I am having a stressful day helps me calm down and stay focused.\u00a0 Krissy is a people person and her upbeat personality always keeps me in check.\u201d<\/p>\n

While we may work for the same company, we both have very different passions outside of work.\u00a0 I love performing and am currently a member of an improv comedy troupe.\u00a0 I also work on the weekends as a performer for children\u2019s birthday parties.\u00a0 Chris enjoys working on his cars, racing them at the track, traveling all over the US (for work and personal) and keeping fit.\u00a0 We both love dogs, especially our two girls, Shelby and Misty.<\/p>\n

I love my career at Schneider Electric for so many reasons \u2013 the development opportunities, having a great work\/life balance<\/a>, the company culture of giving back, and especially the people that I\u2019ve met.\u00a0 Chris stated \u201cI love the opportunities here.\u00a0 I have moved roles quite a bit in my 9 year tender at Schneider Electric.\u00a0 External customer support and internal customer support, management and individual contributor, executive level interaction and new hire interaction, the spectrum is wide and rewarding.\u201d<\/p>\n

When I started working for Schneider Electric I knew I would have a fulfilling career, but I never expected to meet my husband. \u00a0I\u2019m proud to say we\u2019re not the only Schneider Electric power couple, and in honor of Valentine\u2019s Day, I wanted to share the stories of a few of our Schneider Electric couples.\u00a0 Read below to see what some of our #SEGreatPeople had to say about what they love about working together and their favorite things about Schneider Electric.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Meet Some of Our Schneider Couples\u00a0<\/em><\/h1>\n

\"\"Toby & Leanne<\/strong><\/h2>\n

What are your names and your roles?
<\/strong>Leanne Johnson (Service Sales Manager) & Toby Johnson (Digital Marketing Manager)<\/p>\n

How did you meet?
<\/strong>We met in the Customer Care Center in 2007. Toby had been here for a few months and I was new to the company. I was scheduled to call shadow with his podmate but Toby made sure that I sat with him so we could hang out.\u00a0 The rest is history!<\/p>\n

What do you like to do outside of work?
<\/strong>Travel, cook together, explore the Providence restaurant scene and hang with our two year old son.<\/p>\n

What do you like most about working with your partner?
<\/strong>We like being able to see each other throughout the day especially when it is unexpected. Lunch dates are always nice too. Plus talking about work is easy because we both come from the same company. Plus it is nice having sales and marketing under one roof!<\/p>\n

What is your favorite thing about working for Schneider Electric?
<\/strong>We love working for a global company that gives us endless possibilities of where our careers can go. Hard work is often rewarded and the employees are the coolest around.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"Amanda & Andrew<\/strong><\/h2>\n

What are your names and your roles?
<\/strong>Amanda Steelman \u2013 Customer Project Specialist, Square D and\u00a0Andrew Widlacki \u2013 Energy Engineer II, Energy and Sustainability Services<\/p>\n

How did you meet?
<\/strong>We met in college, we were both studying Mechanical Engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Upon graduation, Drew moved to Dallas to start work with Schneider Electric and I graduated a year later and went to work in Houston in the oil & gas industry. Last year, I made the move up to Dallas and started as a project manager with Square D.<\/p>\n

What do you like to do outside of work?
<\/strong>We\u2019re currently taking advantage of the downtown Dallas life. We\u2019re season ticket holders for the Dallas Mavericks so we\u2019re at a game at least once a week during basketball season. Otherwise, just exploring the city and activities with friends.<\/p>\n

What do you like most about working with your partner?
<\/strong>Actually, the fact that we don\u2019t work together! We\u2019re in two totally different divisions so it\u2019s the best of both worlds. We get to enjoy all the benefits that comes with working for the same company but on a daily basis, we can see each other as much (or as little\u2026) as we want.\u00a0 It doesn\u2019t actually feel like we work together since our jobs are vastly different and we work in different parts of the building but it definitely comes in handy when you run out of the house in a rush in the morning and forget something at home\u2026 We\u2019ve both had to make that call to the other before.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>What is your favorite thing about working for Schneider Electric?
<\/strong>The people! It\u2019s awesome to work in a place where you look forward to seeing your coworkers. It\u2019s also great to work for a company with so many different divisions and areas. There are a lot of different opportunities out there and a lot of different paths you can take with your career all while staying with the company.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"Jenn & Mollee<\/strong><\/h2>\n

What are your names and your roles?
<\/strong>Jenn Bennett is a University Recruiter for the US and Canada and Mollee Kumpitsch is a Service Coordinator for North American Operations.\u00a0 They both work in the West Kingston, RI office and live in Connecticut with their dog, Marley.\u00a0 They were recently married in October of 2017.<\/p>\n

How did you meet?
<\/strong>Jenn: <\/strong>We met through our mutual friend, Christine.\u00a0 I grew up playing basketball with her and Mollee ended up playing rugby with her in college.\u00a0 We met at her house in 2009 and the rest was history.\u00a0 Christine actually officiated our wedding.<\/p>\n

What do you like to do outside of work?
<\/strong>Mollee<\/strong>: When it starts to get warm out, we\u2019re almost always outside after work and on the weekends grilling, playing with the dog, lawn games, etc\u2026 We also like to try and find new breweries in the area to check out whenever we can.<\/p>\n

Jenn<\/strong>: In addition to all that, I like to sing at just about any opportunity I get (around the house, in the car..) and drive Mollee crazy \"\ud83d\ude42\"<\/p>\n

What do you like most about working with your spouse?
<\/strong>Mollee<\/strong>: We carpool every now and then to save on gas.\u00a0 The building is also so big that we really need to plan to see each other\u2014we never just randomly run into each other, so it\u2019s nice every once in a while to plan a lunch or coffee break together.<\/p>\n

What is your favorite thing about working for Schneider Electric?
<\/strong>Jenn: <\/strong>I love the company culture.\u00a0 The people I have met have not only become coworkers, but friends as well.\u00a0 I also like that I am constantly challenged in my role and encouraged to better myself and advance my career.<\/p>\n

Mollee: <\/strong>I love working for a company that cares about its employees and has so much opportunity for growth.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Eileen & Weston<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/strong><\/h2>\n

What are your names and your roles?
<\/strong>Eileen Hansen \u2013 Manager, Strategic Accounts Inside Sales and\u00a0Weston Bishop \u2013 Channel Manager, Southern California<\/p>\n

How did you meet
<\/strong>In the Costa Mesa office on the Inside Sales Floor<\/p>\n

What do you like to do outside of work?
<\/strong>Cooking, hiking with our pup and traveling as much as possible<\/p>\n

What do you like most about working with your partner?
<\/strong>We always have two brains to tackle any work challenges going on and the carpool perks aren\u2019t bad either<\/p>\n

What is your favorite thing about working for Schneider Electric?
<\/strong>SE is big on work-life balance and allows us to fully take advantage of our free time to travel and explore more of the world<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"Kim & Kevin<\/h2>\n

What are your names and your roles?
<\/strong>Kim McDonald-Claims Specialist and Kevin McDonald-Technical Support Engineer.<\/p>\n

How did you meet?<\/strong>
Kevin worked for Schneider Electric in Canada and used to come down for training in the U.S.\u00a0 We were introduced by other mutual Schneider friends.<\/p>\n

What do you like to do outside of work?<\/strong>
We love to travel! \u00a0We have been to Scotland, Dominican Republic, Philippines (for work) and many places within the United States and Canada.<\/p>\n

What do you like most about working with your partner?<\/strong>
We both work from home, so it\u2019s nice to bounce questions off each other if needed. It\u2019s also nice to have our lunch breaks together \"\ud83d\ude42\"<\/p>\n

What is your favorite thing about working for Schneider Electric? <\/strong>
The great people we work with and whom are some of our best friends!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"Skip & Trish\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n

What are your names and your roles?
<\/strong>Skip Welsh (Software Architect), Trish Welsh (Offer Quality Data Analyst)<\/p>\n

How did you meet?<\/strong>
We met in 7th<\/sup>\u00a0grade and started dating our senior year of high school<\/p>\n

What do you like to do outside of work?<\/strong>
We like to snow ski and travel.<\/p>\n

What do you like most about working with your partner?<\/strong>
We like riding into work together and ending our workday together.<\/p>\n

What is your favorite thing about working for Schneider Electric? <\/strong>
We both work with great teams of people so I think the best thing is the people we work with.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/strong><\/p>\n

Erin & Joe<\/strong><\/h2>\n

What are your names and your roles?
<\/strong>Erin Johnson, Director of Global Data Operations and\u00a0Joe Johnson, Director of Client Management, Commercial<\/p>\n

How did you meet?<\/strong>
We met at an after work happy hour with co-workers<\/p>\n

What do you like to do outside of work?<\/strong>
We enjoy camping and lake time with our two kids<\/p>\n

What do you like most about working with your spouse?<\/strong>
Being able to talk to one another about daily issues\/challenges and to have the other one understand the culture and provide a different point of view and understanding of the challenge<\/p>\n

What is your favorite thing about working for Schneider Electric?<\/strong>
Culture: fast-paced, upbeat environment with people that truly care about one another<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"Adrian & Stephanie<\/h2>\n

What are your names and your roles?
<\/strong>Adrian Holt,\u00a0 Senior Project Manager & Stephanie Holt, Senior International Project Manager<\/p>\n

How did you meet?<\/strong>
We met in January 2007 while working as Manufacturing Engineers in Smyrna, TN.<\/p>\n

What do you like to do outside of work?<\/strong>
When we\u2019re not working, we\u2019re spending time with our 4-year-old daughter, Rhory.\u00a0 We also enjoy traveling, brewing our own beer & entertaining friends!<\/p>\n

What do you like most about working with your spouse?<\/strong>
It\u2019s always funny to see how people react when they realize we both work for the same company in the same office space \"\ud83d\ude0a\"\u00a0 Their first question is \u201cHow do you manage to work together all day\u201d.\u00a0 For some, this may seem weird but for us, it\u2019s the norm.\u00a0 We\u2019ve always worked together\u2026first in Smyrna, then Columbia and now, the Hub.\u00a0 We enjoy comparing our projects & customers, bouncing ideas off one another & providing that extra support on those rough days!<\/p>\n

What is your favorite thing about working for Schneider Electric?<\/strong>
Our favorite thing about working for Schneider is the flexibility & balance!\u00a0 It\u2019s not always easy for the both of us to manage large, complex orders with travel requirements and time constraints.\u00a0 But, Schneider has allowed us to be successful by providing the flexibility<\/a> required to successfully manage two growing careers and a beautiful family.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"Rebeca & Hugo<\/h2>\n

What are your names and your roles?<\/strong>
Hugo Tadeo – Demand Planner and\u00a0Rebeca Garcia – Purchasing Project Leader. \u00a0We work together at the Raleigh Design Center.<\/p>\n

How did you meet?<\/strong>
We used to work together in the same company 12 years ago both in the supply chain area, so we had day to day communication, I think we fell in love talking about shortages and production expedites =P<\/p>\n

What do you like to do outside of work?<\/strong>
We enjoy our family and friends life, we enjoy to have friends at our house for “carne asada \/ BBQ” every weekend!<\/p>\n

What do you like most about working with your partner?<\/strong>
Its really convenient to drive only one car during the week, it saves lots on money on gas! Plus we can ask each other for a work advise, as we both still work in Supply Chain.<\/p>\n

What is your favorite thing about working for Schneider Electric?<\/strong>
Our favorite thing about Schneider is how they make us feel they really care about employees.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"John & Lisa<\/h2>\n

What are your names and your roles?<\/strong>
My husband and I are John and Lisa Brewer. John is an Engineering Development Lab Manager and I am a Staff Technical Writer. We work at the Knightdale, NC facility.<\/p>\n

How did you meet?<\/strong>
John and I both worked here for several years\u2014in offices just a few doors down the hall from each other\u2014before we met. One day I saw John in the break room. He had a cast on his hand and I asked him what happened. That started a conversation that bloomed into romance and eventually marriage. We kept a pretty low profile about it at work. To this day, someone will say to me \u201cI didn\u2019t realize you and John are married!\u201d<\/p>\n

What do you like to do outside of work?<\/strong>
John likes to work on old machines and bring them back into working service\u2014Ham radios, Cub Cadet tractors, and a 70\u2019s era Corvette Stingray. He also collects guns and likes to shoot. I own an Anglo-Arabian horse, \u201cBuddy,\u201d and enjoy riding. Buddy and I take dressage lessons once a week and show occasionally, but our favorite thing to do is to ride through fields and trails along the Neuse river.<\/p>\n

What do you like most about working with your spouse?<\/strong>
Working for the same company at the same location makes it possible for John and me to do things together during the day\u2014have lunch, go for a walk, take a coffee break together. Since we sometimes work on the same projects, it also gives us much to talk about over dinner. And occasionally John travels to interesting destinations on SE business\u2014Nice and Barcelona, for example\u2014and I go along.<\/p>\n

What is your favorite thing about working for Schneider Electric?<\/strong>
My favorite things about Schneider Electric are the people I work with and the products and services<\/a> we make for providing clean and efficient energy. I feel proud of what our company does.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Kelsey & Horacio<\/h2>\n

\"\" <\/p>\n

What\u00a0are your names and your roles?<\/strong>
Kelsey McPhillips Leal, Procurement Manager \u2013 Lincoln, NE
Horacio Rene Leal Barrera, Program Manager \u2013 SC Deployment, Lincoln NE<\/p>\n

How did you meet?
<\/strong>We both worked in the Leesport, PA plant for a few years before we started dating.<\/p>\n

What do you like to do outside of work?
<\/strong>We LOVE traveling together. We have a sense of wanderlust and embrace every opportunity to go on adventures.
\u201cActually, the best gift you could have given her was a lifetime of adventures\u2026\u201d Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland<\/em><\/p>\n

What do you like most about working with your partner?<\/strong>
Having the same vacation schedule\u2026 to take vacations.<\/p>\n

What is your favorite thing about working for Schneider Electric?<\/strong>
The endless opportunities within Schneider if you are open and willing to pursue them.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/h2>\n

Jennifer & Chris<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/h2>\n

What are your names and your roles? <\/strong>
Jennifer Oliver, Sr. Executive Assistant and\u00a0Chris Oliver, Quotation Specialist<\/p>\n

How did you meet?<\/strong>
Chris and I originally met online in 2004, embarrassingly on the website hotornot.com where you would rate someone\u2019s\u2019 profile photo. I used to never tell our real story, but meeting online is very common now these days. \u00a0We were friends first for a year and visited each other once per month since I lived 3 hours away. We finally started dating while I was still in college. Fast forward to 12 years later and we are happily married with a 4 year old son!<\/p>\n

What do you like to do outside of work?<\/strong>
Aside from spending time with our son and friends, we enjoy going to concerts! Chris is a hardcore metal fan and I (Jennifer) am more into singer-songwriter and indie rock. We also love our Nashville Predators and going to hockey games, as well as arcades that have pinball and old school video games.<\/p>\n

What do you like most about working with your partner?<\/strong>
When we have the same schedule that day, carpooling is great. It saves money and makes for a better commute. It\u2019s also nice when Chris in the office and we need to communicate something quickly to one another. We usually make it a point not<\/u> to always eat lunch together so we have time to catch up on our days on the way home.<\/p>\n

What is your favorite thing about working for Schneider Electric?<\/strong>
We love the people we work with and making a difference in energy efficiency. We have some of the best coworker\/friends that we have found here. Also, the Nashville Hub has been a wonderful place to move to and we are so proud of our beautiful building and love the view.<\/p>\n

<\/h2>\n

Sugeily & Chase<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/h2>\n

What are your names and your roles?
<\/strong>Chase McGrady \u2013 Forecasting and\u00a0Sugeily McGrady \u2013 Project Manager<\/p>\n

How did you meet?
<\/strong>I (Chase) was tasked at work to show the new hire around town. It worked. We both met working as Engineers in Automotive<\/p>\n

What do you like to do outside of work?
<\/strong>Enjoy traveling with our two children\u2026 Olivia (5) and Emmit (8 months)<\/p>\n

What do you like most about working with your spouse?
<\/strong>That we get to catch up during our lunch break without \u201cparenting\u201d<\/p>\n

What is your favorite thing about working for Schneider Electric?<\/strong>
Flexibility and the new office!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

We’re a dynamic, global company looking for passionate people to help us innovate at every level. We are champions of safe, reliable, efficient, sustainable and connected energy for everyone. Our connected technologies reshape industries, transform cities and enrich lives. \u00a0If you’re looking for a new job, click here<\/a> to see our current openings.\u00a0\u00a0Who knows, you might meet your soul mate, too!<\/p>\n

\"Join <\/p>\n

Follow Schneider Electric Careers on Social Media<\/p>\n

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<\/p>\n

The post Together at Home and at Work: Meet Some of Our Schneider Couples<\/a> appeared first on Schneider Electric Blog<\/a>.<\/p>\n

http:\/\/blog.schneider-electric.com\/feed\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Credit to Author: Kristen Larsen| Date: Wed, 14 Feb 2018 13:00:56 +0000<\/strong><\/p>\n

The night before I started working at Schneider Electric I remember lying in bed feeling anxious, wondering what my new job was going to be like.\u00a0 It was 2011 and… Read more »<\/a><\/p>\n

The post Together at Home and at Work: Meet Some of Our Schneider Couples<\/a> appeared first on Schneider Electric Blog<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"colormag_page_container_layout":"default_layout","colormag_page_sidebar_layout":"default_layout","footnotes":""},"categories":[12389,12388],"tags":[12705,17533,12824,12672,17534,12829],"class_list":["post-11488","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-scadaics","category-schneider","tag-diversity","tag-emerging-professionals-network","tag-life-schneider-blog","tag-life-at-schneider-electric","tag-meet-the-employees","tag-segreatpeople"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.palada.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11488","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.palada.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.palada.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.palada.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.palada.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11488"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.palada.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11488\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.palada.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11488"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.palada.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11488"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.palada.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11488"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}