Our Organizational Development Manager, Madeline Kies sat down with Susan Andrews, our IT Systems Administrator to learn more about her both inside and outside of the Boston Retail Solutions walls.
Susan Andrews, our IT Systems Administrator, has been with Boston Retail Solutions for almost 6 years.
“This opportunity stumbled upon me by COMPLETE accident,” says Susan. “I was happily employed! My husband was the one job searching, found this posting, sent it my way…and the rest is history. Everything happens for a reason, and sometimes what seem to be small chances taken become life’s biggest changes.”
An IT Systems Administrator has many roles and responsibilities.
“Greasing the wheels is what I call it,” explains Susan. "We’re not an IT business…but [we] have A LOT of IT, so we need resources to help facilitate, train, and support the organization so we get the best use out of our technology.”
All of Susan’s responsibilities revolve around creating a better employee experience through training, research, and solving the many…many…many problems that come her way.
“My favorite tasks are the mystery projects – an employee will come to me and say ‘how did this happen’ or ‘how can I accomplish X more quickly’...and that's when my day gets exciting,” says Susan. "I sometimes end up having to get creative both with troubleshooting and forming solutions."
“Susan’s patience and obvious effort to make every experience with her positive and educational is what makes her an incredible asset to our IT team and company,” says Michael Szabo, IT Application Development Manager. “If you know Susan, you know she loves a good dad joke. As a father of two who also enjoys awful ‘dad jokes', I’m always awaiting Susan’s to come through on a company announcement. She brings all types of humor to our team and employee interactions.”
Many times, employees don’t come directly to Susan – she’ll be in casual conversation, hear an inconvenience or frustration and that’s all it takes: “I can fix that!” she says, and gets to work on creating solutions that might not have made it to her.
“There was a situation I assisted with in the accounting department where we discovered how Netsuite can notify the right people when there’s a problem with their SO, before it gets to accounting,” explains Susan. “It was a fix that resulted in saving the accounting department time and effort by not having to resolve these issues after month-end.”
What’s your favorite part about working at BRS, Susan?
"The work we do is visually striking and I love to see it! There is nothing more fulfilling than completing my own goals, but also being in a support role that helps others reach theirs," she shares. Robert Blackwood, IT Applications trainer adds, “Susan has the rare ability to blend a high level of technical skill with a bright sense of humor. She can walk you through a difficult process, and make you smile the whole way through that learning experience.”
Susan shares how serious she is about the quality of her work. She’s here to work hard and be efficient ...but loves to play at it.
“Measure twice, cut once — but I’ll always make sure I’m having fun doing it. If I'm serious all the time, I will be miserable,” she adds.
“The first word that comes to my mind when asked about Susan Andrews is: Rockstar," shares Sugey Bernal, Assistant Account Manager.
Outside of killin’ it at the office, Susan is a rockstar at home! Taking on many roles as wife, mother of three, dog mom of three, and cat mom of two — Susan keeps herself quite busy.
“The pride I have for my family can’t be put into words. They are my pride and joy and my biggest motivators. I am blessed with the opportunity to work somewhere I enjoy and am able to provide a great life for my family,” Susan shares.
If you know Susan, a major hobby of hers is spending time with her 3 Siberian Huskies, but in addition to that activity — she enjoys exploring the kitchen!
“I love to cook! Anything new – working to create dishes I’ve never had is my favorite. However, don’t compare me to Robert Blackwood, he’s the REAL cook on the team," she laughs. Something she wants to make sure is included around food is, and we quote: “Grits are PROPERLY eaten with salt and not sugar — I’m going to pick a fight with this one!” she smirks.
Throughout Susan’s time with us, she’s been able to take on more responsibility in her role while continuing to grow in her knowledge of IT. She loves working alongside our developer, Michael, and diving into niche applications like Netsuite. She’s grown her team and taken Sugey under her wing to assist with various help desk projects.
“Susan is my mentor and I have learned SO much from her!” expresses Sugey. “She has guided me since my arrival at BRS and has shown nothing but patience. I will forever be thankful for her and always being there when I need assistance.”
Susan, hopefully, this article expresses how grateful we are to have you a part of our BRS family! Thank you for your 6 years of dedication and countless hours spent making our business run smoother. Lastly, do you have any words of encouragement for new BRS team members?
“Don’t be afraid,” Susan expresses. “You are not going to break Netsuite, Brix, or your email – be curious and always reach out for help. Also, Welcome…. we’re so happy you're here!”
We appreciate you, Susan!