At LaSallemas this August, two of our annual awards were announced: LaSallian of the Year and Making It Happen. Last week we highlighted our 2015 LaSallian of the Year, Maddie Stough, and this week we’re excited to share more about our second award, Making It Happen. Making It Happen is awarded to a LaSallian who not only produced incredible results over the past year, but who ran through walls and broke down doors to do so. They were willing to do anything to accomplish their goals, and they pushed the needle for LaSalle.
Past winners include: our Chief Revenue Officer, Maureen Hoersten, our Director of Call Center and Suburban Office Services, Devan Neally, our Accounting & Finance Team Lead, Kelly Ogle, and our San Francisco Branch Manager, Allison Penning.
This August, our Director of Marketing, Jessica Schaeffer, was recognized for the incredible year she’s had! Find out more about how Jess pushed to produce this year, and what motivates her:
What do you do at LaSalle?
I started at LaSalle right out of college as a Marketing and PR Coordinator. I was the only person in the department at the time, and now, four years later, I am so proud to say we have a team of seven that are focused on making LaSalle Network a nationally recognized name.
Our department is responsible for generating PR, brand awareness, managing internal and external communications, social media and awards, creating collateral, securing speaking engagements, and working with the sales and recruiting teams to assist in their efforts to generate new business and identify passive and active candidates.
Describe the moment your name was announced. What did you feel?
Shock and awe 🙂 Earlier in the day I put together a list of all the past LaSallians who have won the awards Making It Happen and LaSallian of the Year. Reviewing the list from the past four years, I saw so many people who were my role models when I first started (and quite frankly still are).
I look up to each of those individuals so much and they have taught me so many lessons. I know how hard they work and how deserving they were of the awards. I honestly thought, “I hope someday I can be as deserving as they are.” It was really an emotional moment for me.
What does this award mean to you?
This award reminds me yet again why I love this company. I love LaSalle because everyone from our newest hires to our most seasoned veterans are the most supportive and encouraging people I know. Everyone is unequivocally happy for one another, even though we were all competing for the same awards! The hugs, cheers, screams after the award was announced – I honestly don’t know if I’ve ever felt so much support and so much love from so many people at one time (and I just got married a few years ago!).
This award means I need to continue to push myself to achieve more and to really live up to its meaning: Making It Happen. To be someone who produces, who perseveres, and who adds value to the company. I want to prove that I deserve the recognition.
What have you accomplished in the last year that you’re particularly proud of?
I am so proud of everything our team has accomplished in the past 12 months: We’ve grown from two people to seven; and through press and awards, we’ve been able to show on a local and national scale just how special our company truly is, and what a great place it is to work.
We’ve shown the country how truly talented and dynamic our leadership team is, whether it’s our CEO contributing to Fortune.com and speaking about the jobs report on CNBC, or our Chief Human Resources Officer being recognized as one of the Top 25 Game Changers in the Country for HR Professionals.
Why are you proud to be a LaSallian?
I’m proud to be LaSallian because of the people I work with and the people I work for. I am surrounded daily by the most hardworking, intelligent people I know, and they push me to be better every single day. Ideas are valued. Dissent is encouraged and respect is earned. I am challenged by my boss, by our leadership team and by my peers and my team to bring new ideas, to innovate, and to make our company a better place.
