A&E Exclusive: Holmes Custom Celebrates a 10-Year Employee Work Anniversary

Lisa Coleman, customer service supervisor, marked her tenth year at Holmes Custom on October 8th. To celebrate, the company met in the breakroom to surprise Coleman with a card, cupcakes, and a gift to thank her for her service.

In preparation for the celebration, her coworkers created a large card that read, “Happy 10 years with Holmes!” and filled it with photos of Coleman, her coworkers, and her family at different Holmes events over the past decade. Her team members also shared a few words about her during the party, and her executive leaders shared their favorite stories. “Some shared congratulations for the accomplishment and others expressed their gratitude for having Lisa on their team,” says Sarah De Nikolais, video production and social media specialist. “She left the room beaming.”

Coleman first came to the company after selling her sign company in Tampa in 2007. “No one in this industry wanted to hire me when I moved to Jacksonville because I had owned my own company,” Coleman says. “Steve Fernandez (vice president and CFO) took a chance, even though I was over-qualified, and hired me.”

She worked her way up as a team member in all areas of production, customer service, e-commerce, and marketing, eventually moving into Holmes Custom’s new division, Promo180. “I learned as much as I could about everything that we manufacture to help anyone in any department that needed an extra hand. I live by the ‘Teamwork Code’ every day thanks to (my experience in) the United States Marine Corps, (which) taught me that you are only as good as your team,” she explains.

Her work philosophy, “Treat your employees the way you would want to be treated, and (you’ll receive) a lifetime of dedication, teamwork, and awesome results,” is best demonstrated by one of her most memorable moments at Holmes Custom. The story takes place just one month after starting her career there when her granddaughter was born. Unfortunately, 34 days later, the baby passed away. “I had to go back to Tampa for the funeral, and the family unit of (then) Holmes Stamp and Sign sent a beautiful standing bouquet of flowers with a note of support,” Coleman remembers. “They also paid me for the week that I was gone even though I had not built up any time for leave.”

She continues, “When I returned, Jana Clare (customer service/production) had taken down the photos of my new granddaughter at my work station as she thought it would be very upsetting to me upon my return from the funeral.”

Looking back on this difficult time, Coleman says, “The people make this company successful, and I’m proud to say I’m one of them. Because of the family values and compassion that follows the Holmes brands, I have stayed dedicated to them and my goals for continued success.”

Coleman thanked Holmes Custom and her fellow staff members for their support on Facebook and says she looks forward to the future with the company.

For more information on Holmes Custom, visit www.holmescustom.com.