Kevin Cheek

In 2016, I had just finished my B.A. program and was working a job that I loved, but was looking for more. I had placed several applications, but nothing had really panned out.

At my current job, a local tourist destination, I did not have any insurance or retirement benefits. I loved my job, but there was no opportunity for growth or promotion. One day, two Learning Specialists from Foundever St. Catherine’s were visiting the park. They told me they were in town, training for Foundever Hamilton, in support of a new client. They recommended Foundever and the client they were supporting.

I went home and applied online that Saturday night. I received a call from a recruiter on Monday and made an appointment for a formal interview. The interview went great and I was hired that day for the upcoming class: November 7, 2016.

That day I began a new chapter in my life. I had over twenty years of customer service experience, so I thought this would be a breeze; was I wrong. I spent four weeks in the classroom, undoing what I thought that I knew about customer service and learning how to do it over the telephone. My Learning Specialist, Joshua Bailey, was very patient with the old man in the class. I was 44 years old in a class of mostly tweens. We quickly learned that we had not just been hired for a job but a family. I made a lot of friends during class. One of the people, Joe, from that class, is now part of my own team.

In December 2016, I began my journey as a call center agent. I had a lot of help. It took me four months to be able to assist other agents, which is where I wanted to be. I had ten years of management experience to go along with an A.S. in Criminal Justice and a B.A. in English/Lit with an emphasis in Education. I felt like I had more to offer Foundever than to take phone calls. Coach Randy “Bull” Pickard worked with me to get me to reach my goals. That is when I was able to mentor my first OCP/transition class.

Six months after I started production, I was promoted to Mentor. I attended a mentor class presented by Coach Jonathon “Pirate” Harris and mentored multiple OCP/transition groups with him. When the transition groups were complete, I had the opportunity to shadow coaches to develop my skills further and work towards my new goal of becoming a coach. My successes were recognized and I received Employee of the Month in July 2017 and May 2018.

I was then chosen to SME in a class for LS Joshua Bailey and also in a class with LS Amanda Byars. Amanda was able to answer a lot of questions and point me in different directions. I learned a lot by being able to work with Joshua and Amanda and assist them in preparing agents for production. I was able to see how every LS teaches different, but also every agent learns differently. After being an SME, I had a better understanding of the LS position as well as learning/teaching in a call center environment.

I was now ready for my Coach Growth Point Interview. I began the third chapter of my Foundever journey exactly two years after it started. November 5, 2018, I was moved to another client and began my journey to becoming a coach. I am enjoying my role as coach of Foundever Hamilton’s Team Titans and look forward to great things. With the hard work and accomplishments of my team, I received the Director’s All-star Coach for July 2019.

Foundever is not just a job. Foundever is a career full of benefits and opportunities. I have a great health insurance plan, including vision and dental. I have started a 401k for my retirement. And I have a life insurance plan for the first time. The opportunities are endless. There are lots of departments and positions here in Foundever Hamilton as well as all over the world. My team members are not just employees; they are my friends – my family. When something happens to one of us, we are always there to help each other. When one person is struggling, there is always someone ready to assist. When one person does great, we celebrate as a team. I am always there to help, as others have done for me.