Scofield Access Solutions LLC - How it came to be...... September 11th, 2014, RIP My Lifelong Friend & Mentor, #Janet #Kerwood! legacy/guestbooks/berkshire/janet-kerwood-condolences/172458512?cid=full#sthash.uscrGsbt.dpbs In May of 2001, after I graduated from Mildred Elley, the College for Careers (Associates degrees in Business Mgt), I was contacted by my old professional friend Roberta DeFrancesco (I was her first placement in 2001) about this job opportunity she had in Albany. Janet Kerwood, the branch manager of the Albany office,was looking for an office coordinator. Faxing, filing, answering phones, etc. I went for the interview, found out that the benefits for a new employee werent that great, then decided it wasnt worth pursuing. Well, Roberta was not taking no for answer, as she knew that Janet was really interested in me & that it was a great opportunity for me. I can still remember our conversation, and it went like this...Carolyn, Im going to tell you something and please know its like Im talking to you like youre my sister. Janet sounds great to work for and is very interested in bring you aboard. She really needs someone with your skill level & motivation. She really needs some help. I think you should give her another opportunity and meet with her again! Well, the rest is history....Thanks to Roberta for putting her reputation on the line and to my good friend, life long mentor, Janet Kerwood for hiring me. It has been 13 years on August 8th that Ive been in the accessibility industry. I was blessed to have worked for Janet from the beginning of October 2001, until her departure in October 2004. She partially retired & went to work part-time for a custom glass maker in Pittsfield, Mass, as an admin/office position. The time I worked with Janet, I learned so much about the business. I started out in an office support position and learned to handle so much that, after a good recommendation from her, I was promoted to branch manager of the Albany branch of the Whitaker Company, which at this point was a sub division of Thyssenkrupp Access Corp., in October 2004. In 2006, I later stepped into a role as the NE Regional Operations Manager of the Whitaker Group until my departure in March of 2007. Since then, I have worked with the areas two well known accessibility dealers: EazyLift of Albany and Barrier Free Systems, offering them my knowledge and services. Then,in May of 2009, I, successfully, completed the requirements to become a Qualified Elevator Inspector. Ive been inspecting everything from to the basic stairway installation to a five stop commercial elevator installed by one of the union company. Im getting ready to renew my QEI certification for the fifth time. After my relationship ended with EazyLift of Albany in June of 2013, all Janets support, guidance, and believing in me continued to pay off! In October of 2013, I established Scofield Access Solutions LLC. It is a network of residential & commercial elevator and lift specialist. My company offers project management, sales, service, maintenance/labor agreements, installation and QEI inspections. We even have a professional network of contractors, which allows us to offer our customers handy man services. Our focus is to our customers. We work closely with our customers to provide them specialized solutions they deserve from people they can trust! All along my journey, Janet has been my friend, my mentor & my biggest fan! Even, after she left the Whitaker Co. she supported me! I would call her with questions, concerns, or just needing a pep talk and she would always know what to say to cheer me up or motivate me. She was always willing to offer information or make suggestions on how to handle situations. It was a great feeling to know that she was just a phone call away. She was there for me right up until her Alzheimers started to slow her down. I was heartbroken to learn of her illness and now of her passing! My heartaches for her family, as she was such a wonderful person! Her legacy will go on through all of us who love her. We will all remember her charm, her whit and her kindness! She was an amazing woman! I will always be grateful to have had her in my life!
Posted on: Sun, 14 Sep 2014 14:29:14 +0000
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