What's your favorite or most rewarding part of working for Nestlé Purina?

Knowing the work I do makes a difference and is appreciated.

How has Nestlé Purina helped you grow professionally?

Purina has given me an opportunity early on in my career to develop my leadership and problem solving skills. I have worked in both the factory and corporate setting, so I feel I have a very good understanding of associates and how they view their impact on the company, which is invaluable in my position in HR.

How long have you worked at Nestlé Purina and in which departments/positions?

I have been with Nestlé Purina for over 19 years. I began as a Personnel Trainee in August 1990 at the Denver factory. I held a number of positions in Denver over the course of three years to include HR and Security Specialist as well as Safety & Training Manager. In 1993 I was promoted and transferred to our Davenport, Iowa factory as Employee Relations Manager. I worked there for about nine months before accepting a promotion as the Human Resources Manager for our Clinton, Iowa factory. I was there for a total of three months before returning to the Denver factory in 1994 as their Human Resources Manager. In January of 2000 I was offered and accepted the position as Human Resources Manager at our Fairburn (Atlanta), Georgia factory. This was an important step in my career because it was the first unionized facility I had an opportunity to work in. In June of 2005 I was asked to participate as a representative for Nestlé Purina PetCare Company on the HR/Payroll GLOBE Implementation team in Glendale, California at Nestlé USA’s headquarters. I remained on the project in California for a year before returning to work for Purina full-time after accepting a position in St. Louis on Nestlé Purina’s Local GLOBE Organization (LGO) as a member of the Implementation Support Team. Shortly after arriving in St. Louis I was “redeployed” to the HR Operations team to work as Nestlé Purina PetCare Company’s key End User trainer on SAP HR. In 2008 I was assigned to work as the HR Strategist for the ORM department and a year later added supervising the HR Operations team.

What are your long-term career goals at Nestlé Purina?

At this point in my career my main objective is to work in a capacity that is in line with my core values and skill sets that will challenge me intellectually.

What are some perks at Nestlé Purina that you enjoy?

The close proximity to Busch Stadium. The casual environment. Flexibility.

Tell us about your pets.

Don’t have any - allergies.

What is the most exciting thing you are involved in outside of work?

My children’s activities – my son is involved in high school marching band and sports. My daughter is a competitive cheerleader so we travel what seems to be every other weekend to different locations to compete.

What items in your office could you not live without?

Dogbert and Catbert (from the Dilbert comic strip). I can’t forget all of my University of Florida paraphernalia – GO GATORS!!!! #1.

What’s your favorite place in St. Louis to relax and unwind?

My home

If you weren’t doing your current job, what would you be doing?

I’d probably like to work in some capacity with college athletics, preferably football.