CELEBR A TING M

MEET LISA TRUELSEN, Accounts Payable Clerk

Most of Lisa Truelsen’s day is spent on the phone, telling people she wants to give them money.

“Most people are extremely responsive to that,” says Truelsen, who’s celebrating 25 years as the accounts payable clerk for Parker Development Company (PDC). In that time, she’s earned the admiration of her colleagues, and her boss, for being a team player, a steady hand and a fun co-worker.

“Lisa has been reliable through several office location moves and constant changes in workload,” says Ellen Glass, PDC’s controller. “She’s always willing to help, and she can always be counted on for a funny story.”

One story Truelsen likes to share comes from when she started at PDC and met Bill Parker for the first time.

“He said, ‘I don’t normally like the person who pays my bills, because you’re spending my money, but for you, I’ll make an exception,’” Truelsen says. “He was smiling when he said it, and it put a smile on my face that’s never left.”

Bill Parker has nothing but praise for Truelsen and her diligence.

“She drives everyone here crazy, including me,” Parker says with a laugh. “You cannot get a check out of this office without going to her, and she’s a stickler on procedure. Even I can’t get a check cut without filling out a couple forms, and it’s my name on the check.”

Truelsen’s commitment to 25 years on the job speaks highly to the kind of culture Bill Parker and his team have created. Employees at all levels have been with the company for a decade or more, and they all praise the leadership for their integrity, the way they value their people, and for just being smart at running a business. Truelsen is no exception.

“The team here is incredible,” she says. “If you need help, they are here for you, and I’ve built great relationships with all our vendors over the years. This job is so much more than just cutting checks; it’s talking to people, and I really love that.”

“ e team here is incredible,” she says. “If you need help, they are here for you, and I’ve built great relationships with all our vendors over the years. is job is so much more than just cutting checks; it’s talking to people, and I really love that.”

Ask Truelsen what she’s learned from her years of experience, and her answer comes instantly: keep a positive attitude.

“Keep a smile on your face, even when it’s a bad day,” she says. “If you’re always in a happy mood, people respond to that, and it can help lift them up too. It even works over the phone; if you’re smiling and happy, it comes through.”

When the work and time with her colleagues isn’t enough to keep that smile on, Truelsen thinks about her bird at home, which she adores. It’s a 4-year-old conure (a small parrot) she named “Baby” because she doesn’t know if it’s a boy or a girl. She also likes to sew, spend time with her husband and family, and help her parents by paying their bills, just like she does at work.

“I’ve just got a knack for it” she says. “When you’re good at what you do, you never stop doing it.”