01 Oct 2019
Employee Spotlight - Angela Blackington

Employee Spotlight – Angela Blackington

MOUNTAIN, LTD. has a large network of connections from staff, contract employees, clients, and business partners. Although many of these connections know the impact that Angela Blackington has on MTN because they hear her voice when they call the main office line or they have benefitted from the work she does on gifts from HQ, there are still those that Angela impacts without them ever knowing it. Sending out client gifts, making sure offices are stocked with supplies, working with vendors to get the new MOUNTAIN polo created, or making sure the expo booth gets to conferences in time so management can meet with clients across the United States are just a few of the tasks that Angela takes on. What many people do not see is extra time that Angela puts into working at MOUNTAIN. Even though her primary duties reside in New Gloucester, ME where MTN HQ is housed, Angela will take extra time to try and make remote office experiences a little better. She often stays late to decorate for office events, reaches out to others who may be having a hard time, helps coordinate a lot of our community and humanitarian efforts, and she even takes her passion for working here outside the office when she volunteers to help out at co-worker weddings and events.

So, if you don’t know Angela, take some time to hear her words, and if you get a chance, remember to say “Thank You” to her for all of the things she does to make MOUNTAIN a special place to work.

Angela Blackington Sitting at her desk
Angela Blackington sitting at her desk in New Gloucester, ME

How long have you been working at MOUNTAIN, LTD. ?

Just over 3 years

What position/s do/have you had at MOUNTAIN?

Recruiter Teton Team, Direct Recruiter for Medical Team, Office Manager

What is your favorite thing about working for MOUNTAIN?

I love having a voice and freedom to create an atmosphere for employees that MOUNTAIN cares for its family members.  We believe in the Work Hard attitude, but the Play Hard attitude gets to be in my scope of work to organize.  MOUNTAIN understands that many of our roles are stressful with pressured timelines, and staff travel to ensure our clients are satisfied. This pulls us in multiple directions and sometimes limits our interactions with other teams and members.  My role is to ensure that we don’t allow that distance to strain connection to each other; we want to be engaged with all our employees.

What is one of your greatest professional highlights?

Over the years, in my professional careers, the highlights changed with each role.  As a 9-1-1 operator and trainer, I was providing life-saving instructions to someone to save a life.  In my role as a telecommunication specialist, my roles were vast and allowed me to grow while serving the client.  At MOUNTAIN, I serve our family first, a rare focus for a company who’s growth continues.  I consider myself a motivational buoy; someone who truly believes the art of making others happy is in the center of my core.   

What are some opportunities that have come your way as a result of working at MOUNTAIN?

I am being allowed to have a stage to let my light shine on others.  I have been behind the scenes for MOUNTAIN’s;  Survivor, Battleship, Carnival week, Shark Week, Super Hero Day, May the Fourth be with you day, National Potato Day, Office Olympics, Jurrasic MOUNTAIN, I’ll be home for Christmas, Spooktacular, Cinco De Mayo, March Madness, Longevity Recognitions,  Elves at Play, Birthday Celebrations, and the MOUNTAIN Honey Hole (Notable Failure).  All of these were organized to help bring some play into the office to release stress with home-made and heartfelt goodness like your parents and grandparents taught you. 

In addition, I have been able to inspire our commitment to the MOUNTAIN communities with:  Blood Drives,  MOUNTAIN Holiday Giving Tree, No Shave November, Honor Flight Maine, Movers for Military, United Way donations, DownEast Pioneers Golf Classic, Food Pantry Drives, The Store Next Door drive for school supplies, food, and toiletries for displaced middle school and high school students, and supporting our local 4-H members. 

Most recently, I was able to fly out to our Idaho office and help them move to a new location, but knowing the stress that moving takes on all the folks involved, I got to plan a Baseball themed luncheon and some Minute to Win It Games supplying some needed laughter.   Engaging our employees to make their day brighter is what makes me happy.

What does a typical day look like for you?

Controlled chaos.  Some days it’s working with the marketing team selecting swag for upcoming expos, packing and shipping out what is needed or I might create a quick shout out about an event we just hosted or was part of for our social media.  Also, I review accounts for cost analysis, order supplies for one of our twelve offices or become a super mover with incredible bouts of strength to move large objects around in the office.  My days are about staying one step ahead of the next request, event, or need by working with co-workers and managers to ensure we have all the supplies and tools needed to pull off our plans. 

Other times it’s about pulling off the unimaginable; making home-made fortune cookies personalized with the name and mascots of the 68 teams participating in March Madness, MOUNTAIN scratcher tickets, personal mason jars of apple crisp and ice cream, chocolate-covered bacon, macaroni and cheese and so many other edible treats.  Creating giant game boards, dressing in costumes, organizing pig races, deep frying Oreos, onion rings, and candy bars; endeavoring to make each day unique for MOUNTAINEERS.

Angela Blackington during our 2017 Battleship Game
Angela during our 2017 Battleship Game

What is something you’ve learned at MOUNTAIN that you never thought you would?

Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.  

Tell us a story about a MOUNTAIN experience.

I know I have told these stories before, but it gets to the essence of what family means here at MOUNTAIN.  One of our manager’s sons was getting married Labor Day weekend, and the Friday before the serving team backed out.  I mentioned in my travels around the office the dilemma and the next thing you knew we had a serving team made up of MOUNTAINEERS from three different teams to attend and make their special day wonderful.  When it was over, we were exhausted and ready for a massage, but all feeling lucky and blessed to have been able to help.

The other instance of MOUNTAIN’s caring family was when my dog, Tyber Lane, passed away after I had been at the office undertaking a giant move of nearly 15 desks to new locations before everyone arrived at 8 a.m the next day.  I had worked very late into the evening and after ensuring everyone was set, April had told me to go home and get some rest.  I headed to McDonald’s to get my pup her Happy Meal to celebrate her 12th birthday, but when I arrived home, she had passed away.  I was so sad and heartbroken that  I had not been with her.  When my team members heard they showed up at my house with a beautiful 8×10 photo of her, dinner, flowers, and dessert to help cheer me up.  When I came back to work, cards, emails, and letters covered my desk with sympathies for my lost pet.  It’s these kindnesses that remind you; you are loved and part of something greater.

What do you like doing outside of work?

If you work at headquarters, you know my husband, and I love yard sales, garage sales, and estate sales.  Finding an item and flipping it to a new project or giving it a new life makes me very happy.  I enjoy sitting on the couch and binge-watching a Netflix or Amazon series, helping family/friends, serving at church as the Nursery Director and sometimes just being still. (Yes it does happen.)

What are you passionate about?  

FAMILY, whether it’s my family or my extended work family; small acts of kindness, causing them to smile, makes my day. 

What is your favorite movie?

I’m not sure I can provide that, or you would have one more of my password secret answers.  I will say a very early Tom Hanks played the lead character.

Thank you for all that you do, Angela – it is greatly appreciated!