Starting Over
Jeannie Campbell knows the value of working for a company that truly cares about their employees.
“I came to New River after losing my job after 24 years in the garment industry,” said Jeannie. She went to work for that company three days out of high school, but when its headquarters were moved to the West Coast and manufacturing to Asia, she decided to stay in Botetourt County and look for another job.
Jeannie saw that there was a job opening at New River Electrical in Cloverdale, Virginia, so she filled out the application and went to the first interview she had in more than two decades. “It was awkward putting together a resume and going in for the interview process since it had been so long,” said Jeannie, “but I felt very welcome at NRE from the first moment.”
Hitting the Lottery
After receiving the job as a receptionist in March of 2003, Jeannie said she experienced some culture shock. “I came from a culture that the employees were just a number. There was never any recognition of a job well-done, even when we worked so hard day in and out to produce as much as we could,” explained Jeannie.
“When I came to New River, wow! What a difference!” Jeannie said. “It was like hitting the lottery. No matter what job you have, you are always valued and appreciated.”
Over time, Jeannie grew in her role at New River and moved into the Human Resources and finance realm. Now Jeannie works with Robert Arritt, Sr VP, CFO and Corp. Secretary, maintaining insurance and retirement benefits as well as payroll. In the past,
Jeannie has set up annual conferences for the foremen as well as help organize the golf tournament that NRE holds once a year.
“I’m what you might call a jack of all trades,” she laughed.
“What you see is what you get with Jeannie,” said Robert, her supervisor. “In her personal and professional life, she is an honest, responsible, trustworthy, dependable, organized, hardworking, caring, and supportive member of our NRE team and our community.”
It Starts with Teamwork
But it’s the teamwork mentality that gives meaning to Jeannie’s work. “It starts with our leadership working to get the jobs awarded and then moves to the guys in the field doing the work,” Jeannie said. “It all flows from there. I’m happy to work in a place where we truly work together.”
Outside of work, Jeannie enjoys spending time outdoors with her husband of 30 years. “We love anything outside from spending time at the lake to waterskiing and biking,” she said. Her family is currently looking forward to celebrating her son’s wedding in October.
As a company that values excellence in every facet of our work, we’re glad to have Jeannie as part of our team. Her “team first” attitude exemplifies our company’s culture of ‘setting the standard’ each day.