Boss’s Day became a national holiday after Patricia Bays Haroski registered it with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to honor her father (who was also her employer). 2020 has caused for many businesses, small and large, to close their doors or restructure their organizations. The bosses of ACCESS have had to make difficult decisions over the last six months but remain optimistic that the future of ACCESS Event Solutions is bright. In honor of Boss’s Day, we thought we’d highlight and showcase our bosses.

Seth Sheck – Founder and CEO of ACCESS

What are your credentials?

I’ve been slinging passes since 1989. I started in shipping and restructured how that entire department operated at T-Bird Entertainment. Then I became an Account Manager. I moved into sales and began to realize that I knew enough and felt confident starting my own business.

I had to make this pivot because the parent company of T-Bird Entertainment was a local commercial print shop that ran itself out of business and became mostly dependent on my sales. I figured if I was going to work this hard and be this stressed out I should do it for myself at my own business instead. ACCESS Event Solutions was born, 1/2/02!

As a boss what are some of the challenges you have had to face at ACCESS?

Staff reduction due to the pandemic has been very hard.

What are you most passionate about in your job? What do you most enjoy about working here?

I love the interaction with our team (family) and I love making our clients happy with our work.

What’s your management style?

I prefer to enroll others in a shared vision to execute and try not to micro-manage.

What has been your biggest accomplishment here at ACCESS?

Inventing the Matrix Laminate is probably my biggest accomplishment. Second to that would be creating the Mission Control event management software.

What does ACCESS mean to you?

Access is my dream come true. Wanting to own a business that caters to industries I love (live events).

What’s your advice for future bosses?

Listen to others. Keep an open mind. Continue developing personally and professionally. Understand that there’s always more to learn. Learn to be a leader vs a manager.

Alma Sheck – Director of Administration and HR

What are your credentials?

I worked in the medical field from 1998-2003, mainly for a nonprofit organization called Women’s Health Connection. I was a Coordinator/translator, assisted women who were diagnosed with breast/cervical cancer to find treatment options. I then decided to make a transition to the mortgage industry, from 2003-2011 I had the opportunity to learn about title, mortgage lending and real estate, during these years I was also involved in the community, I was part of the Latino Lions Club as well as the Chamber of Commerce.

I decided to join forces with Seth and started my journey with ACCESS in 2012! Having the opportunity to learn the business inside and out with and without titles, as well as to be a business owner/partner and a leader. As a business owner a lot of hats/titles must be worn depending on the needs of the company, there is not one single title that suits everything I do. I’m hands on in multiple areas of the business, but my eyes and ears are on in every aspect of the company.

My responsibilities go beyond a title. One day I work on some finances/accounting, another day I’m in meetings with our team strategizing sales/marketing plans, the next day I’m working on administrative duties. Some days are spent on advancing and exercising my knowledge in HR matters. At times I travel to build our business and become the face of the company. And some days I don’t know where time goes or what I did, LOL!!!

As a boss what are some of the challenges you have had to face at ACCESS?

Many! Some have been how to deal with employees and learning to grow as a business owner and to be a leader (they go hand in hand, for me). Work that never ends. I’ve had to push myself to be self-aware and more mindful than ever before in my life, to see things from an employees’ perspective as well as a leader & do my best to balance the two.

What are you most passionate about in your job? What do you most enjoy about working here?

Seeking fairness for our employees and the company, at the same time. Strategize on growing the business to provide better opportunities for our employees and their families. The fact that my husband and I work on building our business together as partners, it’s a journey with many challenges that I would never change for anything. I enjoy being the face of the company when we travel for business.

What’s your management style?

I am very curious to know how and why people do what they do in their roles with ACCESS, I ask and seek information to understand how we can improve as a company. I welcome respectful communication; I’m open to people sharing their thoughts and feelings respectfully. I am constantly seeking leadership knowledge to practice/evolve and be a better leader for our team, through courses and books.

What has been your biggest accomplishment here at ACCESS?

Most recently, my biggest accomplishment would be navigating through this pandemic, through positivity, optimism and faith. Also being able to adapt and figure out how to move forward to ensure ACCESS survives through these difficult times. I’ve had to learn through trial and error and from my mistakes.

What does ACCESS mean to you?

ACCESS to me is a team and family. It’s a group of smart and resilient individuals who believe and have faith that there’s huge potential for success and hope for our business. It also means I’m going through a journey that allows me and pushes me to grow personally and professionally to be a better version of myself.

What’s your advice for future bosses?

Learn to ASSUME NOTHING. You will save yourself and people you lead lots of headaches, misunderstandings, hurt feelings. Care about your team and treat them with respect. Never stop learning how to be a better boss and leader (there is a difference), it’s a journey not a destination.

Listen more than you talk, observe, ask questions. Remember that people are always watching what and how and to whom you say things to. Always reflect on what you could have done better in situations to obtain better results.

Mike Heaivilin – Director of Sales and Marketing

What are your credentials?

I’ve worked for the same successful entrepreneur for more than 20 years in 3 different types of business in sales and marketing and lead my own team in two of those business.

As a boss what are some of the challenges you have had to face at ACCESS?

Coming into a new job in the middle of a pandemic in an industry that has directly been affecting by the pandemic with almost zero revenue and develop ways to create new business activity.

What are you most passionate about in your job?

I’m very analytical so I like to look at data and concentrate on how to positively impact the business by improving the data and boost revenue.

What do you most enjoy about working here?

Coming into a new industry, learning new things, looking at new challenges and offering help where I think I can grow the business.

What’s your management style?

I’m not a micromanager and do not believe in having too many meetings but I will do enough to ensure trust and expect results from my team by allowing them to be more productive by avoiding metrics that are unachievable.

What has been your biggest accomplishment here at ACCESS?

In the short time that I’ve been here I’ve been able to help in implementing a new CRM (Customer Relationship Management) system that will better serve the business and our account managers by allowing the CRM to proactively do some lead generation and selling.

What does ACCESS mean to you?

ACCESS to me means a new start and a new challenge where I can bring many years of sales and marketing experience and help build a business that cares about its employees and its customers.

What’s your advice for future bosses?

Learn to adapt, be confident, listen to your employees and if you treat them well, they will work hard and be more productive for you.

AJ Mahlin – Production Supervisor

What are your credentials?

I studied at the University of Nevada, Reno and also have three years of UPS management experience.

As a boss what are some of the challenges you have had to face at ACCESS?

At Access we deal with challenges that range anywhere from weather delays on shipments due to bad weather (hurricanes, tornadoes, floods etc.) to exceeding the customers wants, needs, and expectations daily.

What are you most passionate about in your job? What do you most enjoy about working here?

I’m most passionate about running an efficient and profitable production day all while creating a fun and likable work environment.

What’s your management style?

Encouraging my employees to be hard working and always have a sense of urgency throughout the workday. This starts by me setting a good example.

What has been your biggest accomplishment here at ACCESS?

Seeing the smile, I put on my coworker’s face and creating a comfortable and fun work environment.

What does ACCESS mean to you?

ACCESS means to me, not just a company that’s going to send you a product, but a family that is going to do whatever it takes to deliver the best possible product for our customers.

What’s your advice for future bosses?

Do whatever it takes day in and day out to produce the best possible product. In time of “code red” situations just sit back and take a deep breath, it’s not the end of the world.

 

Now that you know a little bit about your ACCESS bosses, you can see why our clients choose to work with us. Our team is made up of individuals who have decades of experience and are dedicated to delivering amazing service.

If you would like to have ACCESS to become your credential provider, contact us today!