Issue link: http://maconmagazine.uberflip.com/i/307965
86 l Macon Magazine aPRiL/MaY 2014 ADVERTISING | WOMEN IN BUSINESS HOW DID YOUR CAREER PATH LEAD YOU TO YOUR CURRENT PROFESSION? KATHY: I started my career path in ministry as a full-time Children's Pastor in Macon. I had the opportunity to travel to several new churches in Georgia to help recruit and train leaders and staff members on how to successfully grow and build a ministry team. MELISSA: I have always enjoyed meeting new people and hearing their stories. In this position I can help make connections between qualified candidates and potential employers. WHAT IS THE MOST REWARDING PART OF YOUR JOB? KATHY: My passion is to make a difference in people's lives! Staffing is an amazing way to connect a need, not only for clients looking for the right employees, but also for placing someone in need of employment and/or a career. MELISSA: Finding the connection. Some candidates feel at a loss and they feel like they have no real options yet we spend time with them and we solve the problem and everybody wins! WHAT ARE YOUR BIGGEST CHALLENGES? KATHY: The biggest challenge in staffing is finding the right people for the right job at the right time! MELISSA: My biggest career challenge is to bridle my enthusiasm when talking to clients about what I know will be a fantastic professional relationship. WHO INFLUENCED YOU THE MOST TO PURSUE YOUR CAREER GOALS? KATHY: I have so many people in my life that've influenced me as a leader, including my pastor John Wood, my boss Pam Cole and my wonderful fiancé Randy England. MELISSA: My Dad for his background in sales. And my Mom for always perservering in anything and everything she ever did. Nothing is impossible until you have given all of your effort and you can feel confident in what you have achieved no matter which way it goes. WHERE DO YOU ENVISION YOURSELF FIVE YEARS FROM NOW? KATHY: There is no place I'd rather be than right where God has me- working with a company that sees your potential, invests in your growth and builds for your future! MELISSA: My goal is to teach others how to perform this job while enjoying it to its maximum. If you love your job, you will NEVER work a day in your life! 3327 Northside Dr. | Macon, GA 31210 www.tracestaffingsolutions.com | 478.477.7747 Trace Staffing Solutions Melissa Wood Business Development Manager Kathy Jacques Assistant Branch Manager 1602 Montpelier Ave., Ste. 6 | Macon, GA 31201 www.margaritasmexicangrill.com | 478.254.7707 Valerie Cork Margaritas Mexican Grill at Mercer Village HOW DID YOUR CAREER PATH LEAD YOU TO YOUR CURRENT PROFESSION? I started working with my father when he opened his first restaurant in Macon in 1988. I was around 10 years old or so, and I stood on a milk crate and rang people up. Twenty-five years later .... WHO INFLUENCED YOU THE MOST TO PURSUE YOUR CAREER GOALS AND HOW? My father influenced me the most. After working with him for so long, I knew that I wanted to continue on in the family business. WHAT IS MOST REWARDING ABOUT YOUR JOB? Being able to set our own work hours so that we can have a work-life balance. My husband and I run the Mercer Village location, and I always enjoy going to work. We have a great crew and customers, and it truly is a lot of fun being on the campus. I never feel like it's work. WHERE DO YOU ENVISION MARGARITA'S FIVE YEARS FROM NOW? Hopefully, we continue to grow along with Mercer University for many years to come. ADVERTISING | WOMEN IN BUSINESS Anna Roberts Rivoli Realty 4525 Forsyth Rd. | Macon, GA 31210 www.rivolirealty.com | 478.477.6528 There are not many quiet days in the office of one on Middle Georgia's leading residential real estate brokers, Anna Roberts, Broker and Owner of Rivoli Realty. Anna Roberts is a busy woman as she balances family, church, friends, service to the Georgia Association of Realtors and being the owner of a real estate firm. HOW DID ANNA DECIDE TO PURSUE THIS CAREER? Having the success she has enjoyed as a top real estate broker was one of Anna's dreams. She was always interested in real estate. . Directly after graduating from Macon State, she went to work for the Bibb County Board of Education. With her strong work ethic and great people skills, she was a success there as an assistant to one of the Superintendents of Elementary and the Superintendent. Even though she loved the Board of Education, her interest in real estate never left. In 1987 she began to discuss the idea with her husband Robbie. After many discussions and convincing by Anna, they agreed she could try it for six months. If she had not sold anything by the end of the trial period, she would return to a job with a salary and benefits. What she did that first six months and first year was beyond any expectation. Not only did she close a sale in the trial period of six months, she closed in excess of One Million Dollars in real estate sales in the first seven months she had her real estate license. WHAT ARE HER GREATEST SUCCESSES WTIH RIVOLI REALTY? Anna personally listed and sold in excess of $5,000.000 of real estate in 2013. She has been a Million Dollar Club/Circle of Excellence member every year since entering the real estate business in 1987. She has been the top producer in Macon, more than once and is consistently in the top five producers year after year, producing a multi million dollar sales record every year in the process. She has received the Eagle, Phoenix, Silver and Crystal Awards from the Middle Georgia Association of Realtors, all awards for real estate sales volume in successive years without missing a year. WHAT DOES SHE ENJOY MOST ABOUT BEING A REALTOR? In all of her activity, Anna believes that the most rewarding thing is dealing with people. She says of her business, "This is a people business more than a property business. The trust and confidence that people have in me as their Realtor is incredibly rewarding and, at the end of the day, it is about the personal relationships." As Anna Roberts pursued excellence in all areas of her life, there won't be many quiet days in her office at Rivoli Realty in the future, either.