What is your role at Phoenix Mecano and has that always been your role here?
My title is HR Manager. I’ve been here for 11 years and that’s always been my role.
What do you like most about your job?
I like that I get to make of it what I want. I’m not limited in how I apply the functions across the organization. I know the business objectives and I can structure the environment how I need it. Also, the leadership team encourages me to be creative within the scope of the position so that I can meet our business goals.
What do you like most about Phoenix Mecano?
I really like the strategic nature of the company. When we acquire different brands or products that don’t resemble each other, you wonder how they’ll intertwine – somehow everything always meshes, though. We are always evolving here and that’s important.
What are your hopes for our industry or company?
I hope that we continue to progress as a manufacturing company and that we continue to bring in more product and market opportunities. We need to keep stretching ourselves in this field.
What is your background? Ex) Where are you originally from, where did you go to school, etc.
I went to Linganore High School, located here in Frederick County. I grew up in Frederick County and went to the University of Maryland for college, where I received my Bachelor’s degree in 2009.
Three words to best describe you:
Humorous, realistic, and strong.
What did you want to be when you were growing up?
Growing up, I had an affinity for languages. I actually wanted to be a linguistics interpreter and interact with other cultures and countries. I took a combined six years of German between high school and college. Learning foreign languages is fun to me, and I pick up on them pretty easily.
What’s on your bucket list?
I’ve done a lot of traveling throughout my life and I’d like to continue to do that. To be able to retire and travel would be my ultimate goal.
What’s the one thing, you can’t live without?
My hairspray… or maybe my tablet!
What is your hidden talent?
I can write with both hands. I am very right-side dominant, but I got bored in geometry class in high school and taught myself to write the alphabet with my left hand. I can also read pretty well upside down!
And, here’s what Phoenix Mecano’s President/CEO, Philip Brown has to say of Kristen: “Kristen is a highly experienced, measured, and trusted human resource professional. She is a crucial contribution stakeholder in the Phoenix Mecano North America strategic development initiatives.”
At Phoenix Mecano, our people are our most important asset. Not only do we pride ourselves on having a workplace that’s fun and engaging, but we also pride ourselves on giving back to our local community – we’re currently working on developing a partnership with Frederick Community College to reintroduce machining to the local educational community!
And that’s all for this month’s Employee Spotlight! We hope you enjoyed learning more about Kristen and we can’t wait to bring you more ‘Spotlights’ in the months ahead. Stay tuned to our blog to see what’s next!