I've Come So Far

I am a proud employee of Adventure Harley-Davidson. I am a Marketing Student at the University of Akron and I am HAPPY to make the 45 minute drive to come to work everyday. Most people my age dread working during the summer. They would rather sleep in 'til noon, lay out by the pool, and get into trouble with friends when the sun goes down. But NOT me. My friends are HERE! I start every Saturday at 6:00am to make it to work at 8:00am and I wouldn't have it any other way. Just knowing that I will get to spend the day with my awesome co-workers is enough to make me hop out of bed and get going. Each day gives me something to be excited about and I have grown SO MUCH as a person by working here.

When I first started at Adventure in March of 2008, I was a shy, soft-spoken 20 year old girl with a lot of social anxiety. Just ask Margie, our Motor Clothes Manager! She will tell you about when I had my first interview with her. Oh BOY, was I nervous! I got so nervous during the interview that I actually broke out in hives. Yes, hives. It happens when I get nervous. Don't judge me! Even though I was a bit skittish, Margie took me under her wing and my journey began! I don't know what was wrong with me way back then, but the wonderful people at Adventure brought me out of my shell.

I started out on the phones. Okay, I was the type of person that hated to talk to strangers on the phone. I was a afraid to call and order pizza for crying out loud! Now I would be handling 10 phones lines at once! HOLY COW! This is when I met Rita, my first mentor at Adventure. Rita is one of the coolest chicks you'll EVER meet. At first I just sat at her desk with her at watched her work the phones. She picked up line after line with no hesitation. I thought "Okay, Anna, you can do this. Just pace yourself", and by the end of the day, I was answering the phone, transferring calls, and taking messages like I was born for it! Rita's patience and confidence in me to do a good job is was pushed me to succeed.I really started to blossom when I got the hang of the phones. I gained self confidence and my interactions with others became better and better each day.

But I really started to become the girl I am today when I started in Motor Clothes. Margie decided that I would be good as a cashier in her department. SO, on a busy Saturday she threw me into the action! Jenn started to train me and I picked up on it right away. I was SO proud of myself. I was finding out so many new things about myself! I felt like I could do just about anything! Interacting with the customers was really awesome. I really enjoyed helping them find the things they were looking for and making the most of their shopping experience. Margie would always tell us that our customers are guests in our store, and we should treat them as so. Seeing the customers' smiling faces, and knowing that I helped make them happy, is very rewarding.

And now I am being mentored by Nicki, the Marketing Manager. I have already learned SO much! I have the coolest Internship in the world. It's never a dull moment around here and there is always something new to get excited about. I feel so lucky to work at such a well-known establishment. Harley-Davidson is a top runner in the Marketing world and I am getting some great experience for my degree and career. I couldn't ask for anything better!

Now when you see me, I have bright eyes and a big smile. I'm not afraid to walk up to anyone and ask them how they're doing. I have confidence in myself to take on anything that life throws at me!

I have gained so many things by working at this dealership and interacting with my co-workers. We are like one big family. It is awesome to know that I have so many people that genuinally care about me. So thanks to ALL of you that have made such a huge impact on me and helped me grow into the person I am today! I love you all!

-Anna
Marketing Intern and Adventure Family Member