By Renee Schofield
This is the last segment of the TSS History! For the past 12 months, I have shared little tidbits of the life and times at TSS. Sometimes the days are hilarious and the events uplifting, and others are soul-crushing. From the celebration of a great new job for a young person to heading to the home of a suicide victim to remediate the scene, I’ve learned a lot along the way over these 25 years. I’ve learned about myself, the communities in which we serve and about business. I’ve given testimony before legislators, presentations to local governments and speeches to various groups. I’m fortunate to be able to say that I have gained so much more than I have given. I get teary when I think about all the years, who I’ve met, and the places I’ve gone to. I could not have had those experiences without the support of the companies that placed their trust in me to do a good job. That meant the world to me in the early days and still does today. As we have grown, I have taken a step back to allow the employees at TSS to grow into leadership positions. That’s been amazing to watch, as well.
I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge my husband, Ed Schofield. He never says no to a crazy idea. He might ask a lot of questions, but he has always been “all in” when it comes to TSS. From direct observation collections to fixing a drain, he’ll show up and do the work. There have been many things over the years that could not have happened without him. Our kids, Adam and Alexis, were here at the beginning, as youngsters. They helped, too by showing up at trade show booths, representing at March of Dimes walks, and much more. Lexie worked at TSS for a good period of time and Adam has acted as our computer tech and business advisor on more than one occasion. It took all of us to get here, 25 years later.
And then, the TSS Team. Many people have come through the TSS offices over the years. I’ve written about them before. There have been some stellar employees over the two and a half decades! And we have the most awesome group right now. Eric and Myron in Keokuk, Verla and Aubrey in Juneau and Ginny, Cindi and Penny in Ketchikan. They make the magic happen. There are two people that I must mention, in particular. Ginny Clay and Cindi Byrd. There was a time when my family was in upheaval. I could hardly breathe, let alone work. Those two women picked up and held the business and me together. Without fail, in all these years, when I have asked, they have risen to the call. Crazy ideas? They jump in with both feet and build the product as they go. They get me. There are never enough words to put into how I feel about these two women. They are not just colleagues that I trust with my entire business, but friends who I know will always have my back. They will bake the cookies, help clean up the big messes and hear me out during my crazy wild moments. They are good for lunch and good for tough discussions.
I am grateful. So much more than I could ever write here. And last, but not least, I want to thank my siblings, Denise, Jena and Jim, who always show up to help promote this company wherever they can. The Midwest office exists because they helped get it there. They told their friends, made the visits, and made the calls. And we grew a company where many said it couldn’t be done. I love that and am privileged to have them as my family.
When people say “look what you’ve done”, I have to respond with – “it wasn’t me.” Because it wasn’t. It was all the people above and so many more. This business is not one for the faint of heart. It can gut you in a minute or it can have you dancing around the room. It is not just pee in a cup, but lives, and life changes for the people we work with and for. It’s not just about pee in a cup, but about ensuring safety in the workplace so you can attend a kindergarten graduation after work. It’s celebrating completing probation and seeing the work that has been put in to get there. It’s not just pee…. It goes way beyond that. Every day. Grateful. Honored. Blessed. I am all that and more. Thank you for entrusting me to support you and yours.
And that’s a wrap!