Team Member Spotlight: Kierra
Kierra’s Summerwood journey started in 2010 at her neighborhood Taco Bell when she was just 16 years old. “It was always a nice place, so I decided to apply one day and I got the job,” she says.
Kierra started as a crew member before leaving to attend school. She would later return to Taco Bell and proceed to climb the development ladder, becoming an Assistant Manager, then a Restaurant General Manager (RGM) and a Training Manager, and finally Project Coach. She was just recently promoted to Area Coach with eight locations in Maryland.
It’s important to Kierra that her team see that she cares. It’s about “seeing what I can do to support them, not always what they can do for me,” she shares.
This is a trait she learned, in part, from being a part of the Summerwood team for nearly six years. “It’s definitely a family–oriented company,” Kierra says.
Kierra shares that when employees from Summerwood’s corporate office visit, you can see that they care, too.
One way Summerwood shows that they care for their employees is through the many benefits offered. There is an Employee Assistance Program, holiday funds and educational scholarships, to name a few.
“Summerwood is a large company, but you wouldn’t really think so with the way that you’re surrounded by support,” Kierra stresses.
The generous benefits portfolio isn’t even Kierra’s favorite part! She cites the family environment, flexible work schedule and the people she works with as her favorite reasons for working at Summerwood.
Development is also a crucial part of Summerwood’s employee retention success. “It’s definitely a very strong development culture,” Kierra shares.
There are training programs available to employees. And crew members are eligible for bonuses every period — not just the upper management — another offering that makes Summerwood unique. “It’s really great… because it motivates you to push to be the best,” she says.
Kierra shares that anyone interested in becoming a part of the Summerwood team is going to get a competitive pay rate and a flexible schedule. “And you’re gonna have fun and make money,” she adds.
Having already won a spot to enjoy a complimentary week at Summerwood’s Shore House condo in New Jersey (a perk for high performing managers), Kierra has her sights set on the future. “I want to go as far as I can possibly go,” she says. Cheers to that!