Angie Blocher, Winpark
If you asked me four years ago what my career path was, it wasn’t parking! I worked for a community college in Nebraska with a very clear career path when my husband was offered a promotion. It was a difficult decision to leave as I loved my job. I was working on my MBA with clear intentions on my future growth with the college. I chose to support my husband and his professional growth and we moved to Texas. I felt lost and confused as to where I wanted to go and what I wanted to do. I put my MBA on hold and got a job for which I was over-qualified to bide my time.
That is when I had the distinct pleasure of meeting Michael Cramer during a window retrofit request. I have the habit of talking a lot, which was a useful skill for the small window replacement company I worked for and I was able to build relationships with our customers before the consultation appointment. It proved very successful for the company and gave me the opportunity to better know Mr. Cramer. He seemed impressed and we talked about my career path and the lack of direction I had at that time along with a million other things.
A few months passed and I was contacted for an interview with Winpark for a new position, Project Manager. At first, I couldn’t understand why a parking company needed a project manager but it was worth exploring. After meeting with the Vice President, I knew this was the position for me. I still couldn’t wrap my mind around going from the educational field to the parking industry but it felt right. The position seemed challenging enough for me and I was eager to learn all the various aspects of parking. I was shocked at all that went into managing parking. I came to Texas with no sense of direction for my career and I landed in an industry that couldn’t fit me better. It is challenging. You truly never know what kind of situation you will deal with next. The industry is full of wonderful and intelligent people but, most of all, I came here lost and found home.