Yes, that’s right. When I was a young girl living in Portland, Oregon, I dreamed of working in Hollywood. I never considered what talent I might possess, I just wanted to work in Hollywood.
I pictured myself as a mousketeer or maybe on The Lassie Show, The Roy Rodgers Show or even Rin-tin-tin. The nostalgia of remembering these shows is amazing, if you are old enough to remember them. (SD)
Think of all the stars that got their start on the Mickey Mouse Club. Justin Timberlake, Ryan Gosling, Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera, just to name a few. Well, obviously my name is not among this group.
My destiny was headed in a different direction.
There is a movie and now a common quote: “Be careful what you wish for”. Well, you see, my childhood wish was rather non-specific and I never knew there was a Hollywood, Florida!
Yes,, I ended up working in Hollywood, Florida, not Hollywood, California. In 2006 I began a 10 year working relationship with Hollywood Woodwork, Inc.
Looking back, it is interesting to me that I was sure I did not want to work for a woodworking company. But I came on site to help them with a software implementation and literally fell in love with the people, the work ethic and the beautiful creations they produced.
This relationship was a career high for me.
The job of Controller for Hollywood Woodwork had it’s challenges. The biggest hurdle was that I wanted to live in the Pacific Northwest and this job is in Florida. I was grateful to be living in a time of improved technology and working with a team that understood the potential value of a remote employee.
So, I lived in Vancouver, Washington and worked in HOLLYWOOD. I commuted between the west and east coasts and over my tenure, we grew a great team of accounting and IT professionals. At the same time I made life long friends.
In April of 2017 I made a difficult decision to retire. This decision was supported by management and made possible by the incredible team that we had built. And what a team. From Top to bottom, this group is dedicated and committed to SUCCESS.
Our inspiring CEO, Yves
The fabulous Business Operations Team: Sebastien, Leo, Doreen, Eileen, Ruben, Gina, Connie and Janice
Since April, I have let distance come between most of these relationships. It is a piece of my life I miss but I am working on building my “retired” life in Vancouver. It is important for me to maintain this connection and with the encouragement of my “boss” (SD), I will be visiting Florida at least once a year. This means so much to me and I look forward to keeping my ties to HOLLYWOOD alive.
And just one last very important mention of my Florida Wine Therapy Group, meeting regularly to solve the problems of the world with a glass of wine or two! We used to call this “ladies night” out but “Wine Therapy Group” sounded so much more appropriate.
Lois, Doreen, Connie, Sofiya, Melissa, and Sharon. Missing from the picture is Eileen. These are truly ladies you can count on!
Connie, thank you for the kind words.
You are our HOLLYWOOD star and a good friend.
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Thanks so much for thinking of us and writing this post. We miss you Connie! You brought your smarts, your hard work ethic, and your passion every day. But by far it was your friendship and partnership that made it a great and fun success to work with you. And now you have left us with the best team we’ve ever had. I can’t thank you enough for everything you did for Hollywood Woodwork. To the Moon!
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