Winning with Heather Cruz….

Building a winning team is NOT possible without people who are winners..

 and that's why our "Here's to You," goes out to Heather Cruz this time around. Her winning attitude, disposition and work ethic help to make The MPS Group/Printer Solutions a winning        proposition.

Before coming to the MPS Group/Printer Solutions, Heather was a manager at a Pizza Hut. Working ridiculous hour, at times up to 80 hours/ week, did not leave her any time for her family. She decided a change needed to be made and sought work with The MPS Group after responding to an ad on Craigslist. The rest is, as they say, history. Heather has been with the MPS Group for 3 years.  Her position of "Service Manager,"  is centered around the repair side of the business - making sure that customer's needs are taken care of in a timely manner and that the turn-around time from problem to solution is minimal.  

Heather is, while working full-time at The MPS Group, simultaneously working towards a degree in Business Management.  She is currently enrolled in 15 hours at Palo Alto College AND has a 3.9 GPA. Nothing short of impressive, I'd say.   When she is not working or studying, her time is consumed by her family.  She has three children:  a 17 year old daughter named Jestyne who is a senior at Athlos Charter School and plans to go to nursing school after graduating, a 13 year old son named Nathan who loves all sports, especially baseball and soccer - a typical boy who throws in a little PS4 every now and then, and then there is 11 year old Abigail who loves school, hanging out with her friends, riding bikes outside and helping her mom bake, when time allows.  

Recently as a result of a "love at first sight" encounter, Heather married her husband, Jessie.  The whole blended family thing is going very well - Heather says that her life with Jessie has given her the peace she was missing before he entered her life.  Jessie is an electrician in San Antonio and is a tremendous source of strength and help to Heather and the kids.

Our fearless leader and Owner, James Thomas, when asked about Heather, said, "Heather has grown professionally, spiritually, and family-wise since she came to work at The MPS Group/Printer Solutions . She was a single mom that has recently re-married, she is working towards her  degree in business and runs our service department.  She is always tackling new challenges and always has the  best interest of The MPS Group/Printer Solutions in mind."

 Recently I was able to pin Heather down for moment  and find out exactly what makes her tick, where she came from and where she's headed.  

Me:  "If you could give me one world to describe the culture here at The MPS Group/Printer Solutions, what would it be?"

Heather: "Family."  She went on to explain, "everyone is very helpful and lends a helping hand when needed. We work on cross-training so everyone can pitch in and do other jobs, if needed.  It works well here and it's what makes us a team."

Me:  "Heather, if you could, tell me about a few of the clients that you deal with on a regular basis."

Heather: "Alamo Cement is a really good client.  They have 40 plus machines in two different locations. We provide service and toner for them.  They know they don't have to wait or worry about any issues.  Recently they had a printer that was down in their finance department. In order to get them up and running quickly, MPS had the parts overnighted and we got it fixed within 24 hours."

Me: "I'd say that's pretty quick turn-around time, huh?

Heather: "Well, that's what we do best here at MPS. We give top notch service in a timely manner." 

Me: " Do you have another client that comes to mind?"

Heather: "Yes, Diti Imaging - a radiology company.  They have two machines and are contract customers - which means everything is included in one price- machines, toner, supplies, and service. They can't afford to go "down" because they are in dire need of their machines.  Recently they had an issue where a machine was no longer operable and we got them a replacement machine within two working days. Needless to say, they were happy to have such prompt service." "Oh, and another client I wanted to mention is Jace Pearson PCA.  They had been in contract with another company in the past and had been burnt. They called us and we went out and fixed their machine.  We built loyalty and trust with them and they became a regular client."

Me: "Thanks so much for giving me some insight into some of your regular clients and what you encounter with them from time to time."

Heather: "Sure, no problem."

Me: "So, Heather where do you see yourself 5 years from now?"

Heather: "I hope to be finished with school and to have gained a lot of business knowledge from all that I learn here at The MPS Group/Printer Solutions on a daily basis.  One day I hope to incorporate all of that knowledge into owning my own bakery.  Baking is my passion and I feel like everything I am doing today will hopefully propel me forward into making my own dreams come true."

Me: "That's awesome. Makes me want a cupcake. haha. Let me ask you this, WHEN that happens, will you use The MPS Group/Printer Solutions for your document needs?

Heather:  "Absolutely." :)

Me: "One last thing, Heather - what makes MPS a place you want to come to work every day?"

Heather:  "In general, the culture here is relaxed and it's a nice place to work.  When I first started there was more micro-managing going on - which I didn't enjoy.  Now there is freedom to make decisions and grow as much as you want to.  James is sometimes a hard boss, but he is also the most caring boss I've ever had. The MPS Group/Printer Solutions is a structural place - it's built on a solid foundation - and that's what makes it a great place to work."

Me: "Thanks so much for taking a time out of your busy schedule and talking with me, Heather."

So, there ya have it.  Another success story - not of The MPS Group/Printer Solutions - but that of a dedicated employee that we have here that works hard to not only further the success of the company, but is diligently working every day to become more, better and to achieve her goals.  Here's to you, Heather Cruz.