Receptionist to Controller

A few years ago, almost 8 years to the day, I started as a receptionist for a leasing company in Syracuse, New York. It was May 19, 1999. I had been back in New York from my 8 month stint in Virginia for just a couple of months. I had a temp job that had me working at the newspaper for 8 weeks. It's too bad they didn't see a good thing when they had it - silly circulation department. So I moved on to become a receptionist at Allegretto Ltd. just to get my foot in the door somewhere. I didn't know what I wanted to do or where I was headed when I made the move back North. I just knew I needed a decent job so I could afford to move into my own place and not burden my Dad. It was my head that was spinning and confused on what I was doing with my life - I didn't need to drag him along for the ride.

It was a great first real job for me. I didn't have a ton of experience working, so answering phones, ordering supplies, and helping out with some of the documentation and tasks of the leasing biz was interesting and a learning experience. I even remember the first time a customer yelled at me on the phone. I wasn't working on his file or knew anything about why he had been called by someone in the office or why he was calling. He just felt like verbally beating up the first person who crossed his voice waves. Bastard. But he gave me my first callous towards people who are totally rotten. The cool thing was the program manager, Dan, called him and gave him hell for yelling at me. It was great. Dan ended up being my direct supervisor when I changed roles in the company.

I was a quick learner, very organized, a hard worker - Dick and I worked on this monster deal that took us to Texas, required weekend work at the office, work at home after hours, and numerous happy hours to unwind - and even worked on small leases for the Subway account. This was all evidence of talent they wanted to retain. Yahoo! I was promoted to work on the Micros Leasing program. I remember my friend Lisa telling me it could be a very "lucrative" position. I would work on actual lease deals - work on applications, prepare lease documents, close deals, etc. and make a small percentage on each deal that closed in a month. I soon learned commission was a great thing. Lisa and I both worked for the Micros program, and after she left, I moved into the senior position. I worked with a couple of girls in that job, and I learned a lot about the equipment leasing business. So after the company split and Dick stayed in the downtown office, I knew where my loyalties would lie when he offered me a position to stay with his company. I was even offered a new position and more money by the old company the same day I was going to give them my resignation. It was SUCH a coincidence, that I am still not sure to this day they didn't know something was up. They say they didn't but they are notorious liars. Either way, their money didn't mean much. I still left and went back to the office on Salina Street.

I have been with Par Finance Corporation now since September 10, 2001. Yep the day before 9/11. What a way to start a new job. Plus the companyhad only been up and running since April of that year, but in that time, the tasks that I would do were done by men who had little attention to detail. So there was a lot of cleaning up to do. It has been interesting to work for a company made up of 4 people for almost 6 years now. Three of the four have been together the whole time. We have had only one leave and be replaced by somebody we had worked with at the old company. It has been the same basic crew the whole time I have been in this business. It is definitely like a family. And now one of my family members is moving to Texas.

Rich, our Controller, is moving to Texas in about a month. He gave his resignation this past Monday, and his last day is June 8th. It's a shock, but change can be interesting. I thought it will be interesting yet scary to see who will replace him.

His replacement is me!

Dick said he wanted to take me to lunch today, so I figured he wanted to talk to me about what to expect or to get my opinion on the situation, who to hire, etc. Not once did I think he would ask me to step into that position. At first, I said I don't know how to do Rich's job. But then it didn't take long for me to realize that this is really the kind of step up I need. It is good timing too...sort of. I will be overwhelmed to finish school, learn a new job, then train somebody in my old position. But the timing is good because I am now finishing school, and I knew I would be looking for another challenge for my brain. Plus the extra money will be needed to repay student loans!! And I was getting a little bored with my job. I had no plans to leave but it was getting hard to get and stay motivated. I won't miss some of the mundane things I had to do working on lease deals and calling pain-in-the-butt customers. I am very excited and still in a little bit of shock that I will be the Controller for a small corporation. I started as a receptionist in 1999 and have worked my way up to a Controller. I am so freakin' lucky it's ridiculous!

Leg up!!