Storm Currents News-Blog

When Jessica first started working at Storm Copper, her position in Customer Service/Data Entry was a bit overwhelming. “This job was very challenging at first. It was totally different than anything I had ever done before. I had to learn about so many new products and there are so many different part numbers to remember. There was something new to deal with every day,” she explained. Jessica met the challenge with enthusiasm, perhaps because she has a work ethic that not many her age possess. Prior to coming to Storm she worked two jobs while carrying a full-time load at college with a double major in accounting and business management. After graduation next semester, she wants to continue working at Storm because, “the atmosphere here is great and my co-workers are so helpful,” she added.

You are most likely to come into contact with Jessica if you’ve got an item to return under Storm’s no hassle return policy. Should that become necessary, you can be confident that the task will be done properly. Her job is to guide customers through the return process and make sure all items on an order are detailed and refunded or exchanged properly. And most importantly, she is tasked to make sure that every customer is as pleased with the way their Storm Copper order was handled as they are with the products they purchased.

“My greatest reward is when I hear that a customer has said I treated them with respect and solved their problems properly,” she said.

After 12 years as a Customer Service Call Center Manager, Misti Wade knows what it takes to take care of business. “I’ve been at this a long time, and seen just about everything. What I’ve learned over the years is that you don’t have to know everything you just have to know where to find the answer. I do my best to provide the best service possible by using all of the resources I have available to me,” she said.

“When I started here, it took me about four months to get through a day without thinking my hair was on fire. I knew people and customer service from top to bottom, but I’d never been involved in a manufacturing environment. This job opened up a whole new world to me,” she explained.

Misti handles mostly distribution copper in orders over 500 pounds, mainly for construction sites and larger companies. “Part of the training here is to spend time in the shop area, and that was a big help. I got to work with rolled foil and shipping. I learned a lot, and ask for more opportunities when time permits. I want to learn as much as possible, so I can do a better job of helping my customers,” she added.

“Misti’s best friend is her 11-year-old son. She likes to work out and mountain bike, but is quick to add that she doesn’t do trails that are too difficult. “I’m prone to accidents. I fall a lot, get bruises and cuts,” she laughed. “We’ve got some beautiful trails around here, which makes it a nice place to live and work. I’ve worked in a couple of places where the best day would not have been as good as the worst day I’ve had here at Storm Copper. I love this place. I’ve never worked for a company as good to their employees as this. I’ve never had a bad day here,” she smiled.

Dana Smith likes to keep busy, and with a full-time job, two children who need to be transported to weekly activities and a passion for quilting, staying busy is not a problem. Dana has 12 years experience in customer service; 10 in the banking business and the last two on the customer service team at Storm Copper.

A perfect day for her would involve non-stop action that culminates in all the Internet and phone orders getting down to the shop by the 2 p.m. deadline, shipped out on time and the shop crew not having to work late. At Storm Copper, orders that come in by 2 p.m. are shipped out the same day, and sometimes that presents challenges. Dana’s responsibilities include managing the order flow to the shop, making sure items that are low get restocked and keeping Storm customers happy.

“I have a gift for talking,” she said with a chuckle. “In customer service, there’s always going to be one customer that you can’t make happy, but I haven’t met that one here yet here. I love talking to customers and helping solve their problems and the staff here is so much fun to be around I love my job.”

When she’s not at her desk talking with customers, a needle and thread are balm for her soul. She meets monthly with a group of ladies and finds solace in creating beautiful quilts. The delicate, intricate stitching required may seem difficult and even daunting to others, but for her it’s a form of therapy that is both relaxing and rewarding. Perhaps it is this ability to patiently piece together various colors and textures of fabric in an artistic presentation that enables her to be so successful with the many varied personalities and challenges she deals with each day at Storm.

When cares are stitched together properly, they seldom unravel.

When talking to a particularly kind or helpful person on the phone, it is a natural curiosity to wonder who that person is, and how they maintain such a cheerful demeanor. Audrea is a person that generates that curiosity in many people she deals with each day.

A native Tennessean, Audrea comes by her curiosity about metal and familiarity with metal projects somewhat naturally, due to her husband’s hobbies and handiwork. When it comes to questions about diamond plate and automotive applications, Audrea can draw upon her experience watching her husband fabricate pieces out of diamond plate for different off road vehicles as well as show cars.

“I like helping people and seeing how they use the metals they order. We deal with a lot of different customer needs, from jewelry and art work to people who are rebuilding automobiles. I’ve always liked talking to people, helping out with whatever problem they have. Sometimes I don’t know the answer to their problem, so I check with others on our customer service team. If they don’t know the answer, I’ll go online and search the Internet until I find an answer. People are sometimes surprised that I go to those lengths, but it’s my job to help people solve the challenges they face working with metal,” she explained.