In the Media
Interview With an Expert - Growth Within the Company
Martyna Grudzien’s drive and determination shined through early on in her journey with Ultra Shine. She is the definition of growth and her story, among others like hers, is the reason we continue to place such importance on promoting and supporting the personal and professional growth of our fellow team members through education, training and providing them with the opportunities to succeed. Starting out as a front-line team member, Martyna has developed her skill and expertise by working her way through the ranks and now proudly holds the position of Operations Manager for Edmonton and Northern Alberta. Check out this interview to get a glimpse into what growing with Ultra Shine is like…
Can you tell me a little bit more about your role at Ultra Shine? I am the Operations Manager for Edmonton and Northern Alberta. I look after our Area Supervisors and make sure everything is operating smoothly. I do the paperwork that’s not always the most glamorous like health and safety, WHIMS training, Quality Control and ISO 9001 to name a few. I’m also part of the health and safety committee and I just overall do a little bit of everything when it comes to operations.
What is your favourite part about your role? My favourite part is probably how dynamic this role allows me to be. I’m here in the office and I’m out visiting customer sites and interacting with all our front-line staff. My days can look very different, and it keeps me on my toes which I like.
What do you find the most challenging part of your role? The most challenging part is finding the balance between work and private life and ensuring that everyone has that. A work-life balance is important and something that we value here at Ultra Shine, but operations can be challenging because we are on 24/7 with some of the customer sites. Things happen all the time and you need to be quick on your feet and ensure open lines of communication to be able to succeed. What do you think it is about Ultra Shine that has made you stay all these years? Ultra Shine feels like family to me and the family-like culture is really promoted within. Even if you have a bad day, there’s always someone that’ll help you feel better and get through it. We all lean on each other for support and it’s good to know you’re all in it together. We all really like working with each other and will make a point to do things together when we have a chance. You may have seen our AGM’s before where we all get together and share our knowledge, wins, and insights, all while bonding as a team. Every one of these AGM’s has been special for me.
Since you’ve been a part of Ultra Shine for so many years can you tell me one of your favourite memories? How do I just pick one?! One of my favourite most recent memories was the Ultra Shine AGM in California last year. We were all on New Port Beach looking at the sunset and it was a really nice moment. There have been so many great memories throughout the years that it is hard to pinpoint just one. Another memory that happened recently that really stands out is one of our front-line staff Vivia receiving the GameSense Awards of Excellence recognition. Everyone came together to celebrate at the company site, including our head office, front-line staff and customer staff. I was so happy that we were all able to come together for such a special event. When our employees receive an award it is always very heart-warming to be there and celebrate them.