Kim Slone and Kinard Carey are shining stars in the Gainesville area’s job creation efforts.The two have found satisfying and well-paying employment at Enterprise Holdings’ Damage Recovery Center, which moved to Gainesville in 2009 – and started with about 100 employees.
Six years later, and the Gainesville Damage Recovery Center has about 200 employees. What’s more, the office has provided an in-house career ladder for dozens of Enterprise Holdings’ employees such as Carey and Slone.
Slone was looking for work in 2009 because the car dealership for which she was working was closing. Through mutual activities, she knew Brent Chistensen, then president and CEO of the Gainesville Area Chamber of Commerce. “Brent kept indicating that a great potential opportunity was coming to the area,” she said.
Slone was among the first employees Enterprise hired at the Damage Recovery Center, starting as a recovery specialist in 2009. She worked her way up to her current job as supervisor of the recovery unit.
Slone, who grew up in Hawthorne and now lives in High Springs, said she enjoys the Enterprise corporate culture. “We’re all working together for the same cause, and managers’ doors are always open,” she said.
Carey was working in a local insurance office when he heard that Enterprise was hiring and joined the team as a phone representative in March of 2010. He also has advanced and now is a supervisor in the billing unit.
“I was glad to go to work here, because I saw the growth potential,” Carey said.
When he applied for a promotion, his boss was supportive. “He helped me with my resume and my portfolio, and he even did mock interviews with me,” Carey said.
Enterprise also operates the Damage Recovery Center with flexible hours. “We try to accommodate the needs of employees, many of whom have responsibilities as parents and grandparents,” said Claim Center Manager Andrea McClintic.
As the office grows, it continues to diversify its workforce. “We want as diverse of a workforce as possible to serve the diversity of our customers,” said Corporate DRU Manager Jeff Shorb.
COMMUNITY CONTRIBUTOR
While it’s boosting its employees, Enterprise is also making a difference in the community.
The Gainesville office is involved in Catholic Charities’ Weekend Backpack program, which provides backpacks filled with food for kids who receive free school lunches and breakfasts.
The employees at the Damage Recovery Center helped prepare meals for 150 students over the winter break, said McClintic.
In addition, employees are active in other charities they are interested in, including the United Way, the March of Dimes, Peaceful Paths and the American Heart Association.
For example, Slone is a member of the steering committee for Emerging Leaders United of the United Way of North Central Florida, and she participated in United Way’s Reading Pals program –
meeting with a student at Terwilliger Elementary School once a week.
Employees also took the lead in the company’s involvement in the March for Babies of the March of Dimes, said Generalist Manager Jenna White. “Ideas for involvement flow up from the employees,” she said.
GOOD FIT IN GAINESVILLE
Gainesville scored well in all attributes Enterprise was seeking in a possible site. “We were looking for a diverse and well-educated workforce, good schools, a college town, a place that was up and coming and one that had a low cost of living,” White said.
The community rolled out the red carpet for Enterprise, in an effort coordinated by the Council for Economic Outreach, the chamber’s economic development arm. CareerSource North Central Florida assisted with providing space in the Tower Center for Enterprise to conduct interviews and computer skills testing while it was ramping up its office.
CHALLENGING WORK
Enterprise Holdings created The Damage Recovery Unit to take a more consistent and efficient approach to claims handling and working with customers and insurance companies.
Shorb, who was part of the initial team in Gainesville, said despite the challenge, insurance companies appreciate working with the office because it provides consistency in handling claims. The office emphasizes the importance of good customer service. “We strive to make a personal connection on the phone and to show empathy,” McClintic added.
Employees are encouraged to seek guidance from supervisors. “We check in on how claims are going, and we want employees to ask how to handle situations if needed,” she said. “We also want employees to make suggestions about how to handle things better if possible.”
“We’re continuing to make improvements, and the way we do things today is vastly different than it was in 2009,” said White.
The office operates under the slogan: Great things happen when we listen to our customers and each other.
ENTERPRISE PAYS IT BACK
In 2008, Enterprise Holdings was being courted to the Greater Gainesville Area. Today, it’s helping with the courtship of new businesses.
The company is an investor in the Transforming Greater Gainesville, the five-year, $6 million strategic plan of the Council for Economic Outreach, the job-creation arm of the Gainesville Area Chamber of Commerce. Generalist Manager Jenna White serves on CEO’s board.
“Enterprise has been a great addition to the community, and it’s wonderful to see it growing,” said Susan Davenport, the chamber’s president and CEO.
White recalls that Gainesville scored well in all attributes Enterprise was seeking in a site. “We were looking for a diverse and well-educated workforce, good schools, a college town, a place that was up and coming and one that had a low cost of living,” she said.
The community rolled out the red carpet for Enterprise, in an effort that CEO coordinated.
CareerSource North Central Florida promised to provide space for Enterprise to conduct interviews while it was ramping up its office, located in the Tower Center, and to conduct testing on computer skills.
State and city government committed to tax credits for five years under the Qualified Target Industry program, which provides incentives to attract jobs that pay above 115 percent of local average wages.
“Enterprise Holdings’ success is the community’s success,” said Rose Fagler, who was part of the CEO team that recruited Enterprise. “Enterprise has gone beyond what it promised to do and now, the company our area recruited is part of the effort to recruit others to our community.”