I don't recall much of my first few days at Ameren; other than going out to lunch with Bobby and wondering why he was named Bobby and his brother named Suraj, remembering Aitor's name via his explanation of "I tore my pants", and wondering who in the heck Rachel was and if I'd ever get to meet this girl outside the trading of the post-its. August 2008 was a whirlwind and I loved every second of it. The first time it felt real was when I brought in my first Supplier for my first Supplier meeting. Rick Surrat from Satec, to be exact. I believe were were putting in a GBPA with them. I remember my heart racing as I went downstairs to get him and lead him to the tiny conference room. He gave me his card but I couldn't exchange as I didn't have my cards yet (where were they?). And we did a business deal. I KNOW I thought he thought for sure that I was faking it. Why would anyone trust me to deal with hundreds of thousands of dollars?? One of these days, this company and all it's Suppliers would wake up to realize that I was, in fact, a kid who had no clue what she was doing.
Feeling like I was faking had no effect on how thankful I was (and still am) for this job. I had been underemployed for over a year when I started. I think waiting that long to find my first real job made me that much more thankful each and every day I got to go to work. To this day, I'm thankful for every day I get to walk into that building.
For mostly myself, I want to cannonize a few of my best & worst moments and favorite memories. This was 9 years of my life, longer than I've spent anywhere else. Obviously it's impossible to write down everything but a few highlights are below.
Michelle Moments: (definition: an incident that reeks of klutziness)
There are many many of these throughout my tenure at Ameren. I'll pick my favorite:
1. The Pole Incident
Less than a month into my employment, when I was still trying to impress the group by going out to lunch daily (before I discovered the gym), we were walking into the courtyard. I was turned around talking to someone (likely Suraj) and ran smack into one of the light poles. The group, being the caring , loving people that they are, asked me if I was ok, but, before I could answer, planned to drag me across the street before calling for help to avoid a recordable incident that would affect our bonus. I've felt loved from the start of this job!
2. The Ball Incident
I had sat on a ball for nearly 2 years. It was red and rubber and tightened my core nicely, thank you very much. One day, I was sitting, minding my own business, when a loud burst echoed throughout the third floor and I was sitting on the ground. My ball was literally in 2 pieces. A crowd of about 10 people was gathered around me before I knew what happened. No, I didn't file a safety recordable. But my tailbone did hurt for days.
3. The Usher Incident
This was the same week as The Ball incident, in September 2012, right when I had gotten my promotion. I was working on my favorite project at that time, Supplier Advertising Agency of Record (the first time...) and it was the Big Day- Supplier Presentation day. (Those were super cool by the way, both times we did them). All the Communication VIPs were in the room. And I was the New Girl. A Very Awkward Meeting was unfolding and some tense words were spoken; the meeting was getting back on track when I swear my Pandora spontaneously combusted from my phone, resulting in Usher's Yeah! blaring from it. It took me a full 20-25 seconds to get the stupid phone under control, at which point the VP of Ameren Communications called for a 5 minute "bio-break".I later got told by the VP that was the best part of the Very Tense meeting.
4. The Tom Voss Water Glass Incident
Tom Voss was our CEO and could frequently be seen in the cafeteria eating solo. I saw this and resolved to myself that one day I would go talk to him. And one day, as we were existing the cafeteria and I was headed to the dishes chute to put my water glass through, I saw him and spur-of-the moment decided to sit down with him. I know I was super nervous and I honestly don't know what I said. I believe he asked me what I was working on and I told him briefly about an Energy Efficiency project I was sourcing. I walked away shaking and proud of myself. And decidedly without my water glass. Pretty sure the CEO had to take it and put it away. Just, you know, that time the CEO did my dishes...
5. The Richard Mark Mouse Incident
I left my wireless mouse in Collinsville. When I asked my friend Nick to get it back to me, he sent an office-wide email asking if anyone was going to the GOB. Next thing I knew, I was being called to the C-suite to pick up a package. The CEO of Ameren Illinois had delivered my mouse to the CEO's assistant.
There are way, way more of these incidents, I'm sure. These were just the alcohol-free ones! We won't go into the alcohol-induced ones here.
My Career: A brief history
I was hired by Ken Offerman to work on Sourcing of Energy Delivery Special Projects/Services. I did a lot of support work during this time, lots of relationship building and learning of the Oracle system. But I don't remember any projects that really grabbed me. A few highlights from that time period:
- I remember my first field trip was to go visit a control enclosure with Dave Garcia outside Sioux plant. Many late nights were had running pricing on scenarios between control enclosures and relay panels. This was before I really knew how to use excel so it was painstaking.
- Ken LaBeaume was diligently teaching me Oracle Purchasing; There were so many problems with existing Purchase Orders and I developed many "best friends". One of them I know had "two first names". A frequent joke between Ken and me every time I asked him for help was "does your best friend with two first names need something else"?
- I sat next to Aitor who took me under his wing right from the start. I owe my Excel skills to him (he taught me how to do VLookups...awww). Aitor had good taste in chocolate :).
- Liz Haverman from GE taking myself and Lynn up to the Decatur meter shop to show us around. I put in those Instrument Transformer contracts all wrong; bless Lynn's heart for finally showing me the right way to do it!
- I remember a lot of not having any idea what I was buying! (what the heck is an instrument transformer? Relay control panel? I don't know but I have drawings!)
- Helping review and revise the first Sourcing Manuel with The MPower Group (Anne!) And many, many days of Sourcing training (not to forget the sugar bowl game for negotiation training!)
- The bus ride down to Tan-Tar-a resort for our first off-site. Watching The Office, lol.
In December of 2009, Ameren created a new department to handle spend between $50K and $5M. I feel like this is when my career really started. I worked for Jackie Johnson and we moved to services. Things I understood!! Background Check services, travel, translation and relocation services. These things I could wrap my head around and explain. I also started to understand the difference between being reactive and proactive purchasing and began to anticipated needs and drive my own work. My highlights from working for Jackie:
- I remember my first real negotiation and how nervous I was. It was for Psychological Evaluations for executives to be exact. Surely if I ask them how they got to their price or to lower it they won't like me anymore!
- Everything about being the Travel Manager, including the tour of the Hilton at the Ballpark, my name on the screen there, and getting an advance DVD of Up in the Air. Scott, our sales rep, was so fun. I got to go to my first Opening Day and he consistently gave my flowers on my birthday. I believe I also got to got to the U2 concert at Busch during this time. Amazing.
- My first actual sourcing event was background check services.
- Going to my first conference- this one was the Minority Business Council in South Beach. Was a giant party...not gonna lie.
- Staying late on a Friday to create the Planning Tool (still one of my favorites) because we were all in it together.
- The trip to Callaway with Anne for the MPower Training. Loved Callaway. Still get excited every time I drive by.
- Wacky Wednesday
- The Safety Fair- Baby Races
- Chili Cookoff
- The many happy hours at Broadway Oyster Bar
- The team meetings with Our Spots
- The relationships I developed with Mike and Todd
- The Technically Correct PO Audit checklist (and so many flow charts)
- Bus rides to Chandler Hill Winery and Christmas party mouse races
- The re-vamp and frustration around the Guidant contract.
In September 2012, the Procurement Group was dissolved and I was moved back to Strategic Sourcing, promoted to Analyst began working for Mel. I did most of the same things as when I worked for Jackie, except got to handle spend all the way up. My favorite category during this time was Advertising (see Michelle Moment above). Some other favorite projects during this time:
- The Energy Efficiency software program- learned a lot from MaryEllen and Tom and gained an appreciation for project management.
- Sourcing the Advertising Agency of Record not once, but twice- that's a lot of listening to pitches to advertise Ameren! I appreciated those for sure!
- The Interior Design pitches (how to create the office space of the future!)
- Lots of Real Estate things...
In June 2014, I ironically took Ken Offerman's place on the Material team, reporting to my long-time mentor Aitor. Without going into it too much, this was by far the best leg of my career at Ameren. It was (and is) a phenomenal team.
This team change came at a time in my life where I needed something to pour into, to be honest. And the perfect storm of an opportunity to do so came up as the Gas Pipe/Valve/Fitting contract has major opportunities for improvement and a new Supplier. As part of this team, I learned what it means to get excited about making changes. I met people along the way who saw the need for change and hopped on board. I guess it was an example of a new crop of talent challenging the status -quo. Through hours and hours on the road going to meetings, vendors, and road shows, I made life-long friends. I learned to seize opportunities for asking for what I thought was best. I learned how to make killer power point presentations and practice them until other people were sick of it (sorry, Aitor...). I learned that asking/telling once (or twice) isn't always enough. I learned to anticipate challenges and create messages based on that. I learned what kind of beer I like and what drinks to not mix. I learned that if there was a challenge I had what it took to rise to it. Thanks for challenging me and telling me I could do better. This project will serve as a measuring stick for projects to come; I won't settle for anything less than feeling like I'm doing my best.
And, a final milestone at Ameren- in August 2016 as this project was finally implemented and standing on it's own, I got the opportunity to become a supervisor. Thanks Pat for putting up with me and being a big part of my Ameren family. I'd say you were a good guinea pig. And, remember, it's good for you; builds character. I hope that you can have as amazing of a career here as I have had. Keep challenging yourself and saying yes.
Other favorite memories- a random list:
- Pere Marquette- charades and bags and watching Cardinal Games and playing spades and going for walks with flashlights
- Taking my youth kids at the time to paint Gateway 180 with WISE
- Cardinal games / Ballpark Village at the BOA Club :)
- ISM conference in Vegas with Marty and his meat
- Many, many, many happy hours at Sqwires where co-workers become friends become family. So. Much. Popcorn.
- Runs to the Arch and around Lafayette square park
- Blowing a circuit with too many crock pots at the chili cook off.
- The Covering House getting WISE trivia night money and people learning about The Covering House.
- Ameren donating to Mission St. Louis and getting to go to Night for the Town
- Wrangling the giant Louie balloon through the parades- was so fun the first time or two!!
- All the stuff that got donated to bring for my Kenya trip
- Ice Cream days led by the interns.
- National Fake Banana Split Days...
- Dumping the bucket of ice on Dennis's Head...
The Gym: (This has the capacity to be a separate blog post altogether but this is abbreviated here)
Under each of these career moments at Ameren flowed a constant current of The Ameren Gym. In some stages of my life, it was a constant after work thing (that allowed me to miss traffic I-64 was being re-done) and in other stages of life it was a lunch thing. But from the moment Rachel showed me how to use the treadmill and SOMEHOW talked me into running my first half in April 2009 (I had never even run a 5K!!), it was always a Thing. From Megan and Serron running it in the beginning to Jeff (and his Camo hat) and Katie, Brittany, and other Kaite, and now Brandon, each of the managers brought their own style and inspiration to the job and I'm so appreciative of each one of them. I know I've shed tears to more than one of you. Jeff once made the comment to me that he was like a bartender...he knew everyone's business. And I'm so grateful! Throughout the changes at The Gym and in my routine, the thing that was constant for me was the way that it always feels like coming home when you walk down there. Like taking off heels and putting on slippers. I'll miss the locker room jokes, talks, and music. I'll miss the chattering during class because you are so comfortable with one another. I'll miss life lessons from Lenny. I'll miss making fun of Ryan when he does show up. I'll miss the hours of drinking with the people who I will burn off those calories with the following day. I'll miss getting made fun of when people walk past us working out outside. I'll miss the burpees (no, wait, that's wrong). That gym changed my life for the better. Before I walked in the door at Ameren, I didn't know what working out was. Now it's so much a part of who I am that I can't separate me from it. I'm much healthier, have tons of energy, I have a much better self-image, and I've discovered hobbies that have led to really great friends both inside and outside Ameren. Currently it's biking (but it's gone from running to kickboxing to yoga to biking over the course of my time at Ameren). That gym was by far the best thing about Ameren and one of the best things that's ever happened to me. It will ultimately be the thing I miss the most, I think.
Acknowledgements:
How does one end this post? Ameren is basically the only thing I've ever known. I've grown up amongst the cubicle walls and in the conference rooms. It's been a constant rock in the midst of the changing world outside the shelter of the brick walls.
I'm forever thankful for the time I've spent there. Even after 9 years, I still wake up and am exceedingly thankful for the job- to go in and feel like I have a purpose each day. Ameren has been a place of refuge and comfort. I'm making the choice to move forward because I think it's the best thing for me to remain uncomfortable and challenged. But I can't forget where I grew into the person who wants to be challenged and rise to the challenge.
A few acknowledgements:
- First, to each and every one of my supervisors/mentors- thanks for guiding me and most of all for putting up with me. I owe what I have to you.
- Then to every other person in Sourcing and Purchasing, past and present...thanks for making Ameren a home and a family.
- Thanks to my gas stakeholders- your passion for the GMDC project fueled my passion for it. Thanks for making my gas flow. ;-)
- To the MRC crew, esp Amy- thanks for being friends and making the past few years so fun...and so full of good food. Also, Karl, you need to work on your negotiation skills- you know I always win :).
- To the gym managers, past and present- thanks for pushing me to be better each and every day.
- To my locker room and gym class friends-thanks for encouraging and pushing and making fun of me. I'll be hard pressed to ever again find a gym that means this much to me.
- To Rachel-regardless of where you are now, you are the best part of Ameren. Thanks for being a constant cheerleader in my life. I admire you each and every day.
- To my family- thanks for always being encouraging about Ameren and to coming to all of the Safety Fairs.
- To all my friends that have listened to my complaints about work and have encouraged me, thank you. Esp for texts/emails on big days (and small days).
I'll end with the verse that has adorned the bottom of my monitor for many years, as it keeps me going day by day.
23Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, 24knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ. Colossians 2: 23-24
And the other one on my monitor:
The secret of joy in work is contained in one word - excellence. To know how to do something well is to enjoy it. Pearl S. Buck
