The WOW! Buzz

Yesterday, we got to know our Entertainment Editor Libby Pawlick a little better.  Now it’s time to check in with our Culture Editor, Sherry Zachary.

Q: What is your nickname? I don’t have one here, but at a past job they called me ‘Bear,’ a shortened version of ‘Carebear.,’  Are you old enough to remember them?  I think I got it because I’m a pretty good listener.
Q: What is your favorite word? That’s a tough one. As an English major, words have always fascinated me.  I guess it would have to be onomatopoeia because it’s such fun.  Onomatopoeia is a word or words that imitate the sounds they represent, like the hiss of a snake or the buzz of the bees.
Q: What is your least favorite word? Excuse me for saying so:  Fart.  I hate how it sounds and what it means.  It’s an ugly example of onomatopoeia!
Q: What sound or noise do you love? I really love to hear the clacking of horses’ hooves and all that cowboy gear jangling in movies of the wild, wild west.
Q: What sound or noise do you hate? Sirens.  I hate what they represent or potentially represent.  Say a prayer.
Q:  If you could have dinner with any historical figure, who would it be and why? Winston Churchill.  WWII has always fascinated me and to talk to someone who was an inspirational leader through those years of direct confrontation would be extraordinary.  But we eat in Paris, not in London, ok?
Q: What profession other than your own would you like to attempt and why? I would love to be a process engineer.  I was with a manufacturing company that did a lot of Kaizen and seeing the elimination of waste, plus the savings in time, motion, materials and inventory was such a thrill.  Employees loved it too.  We’re actually looking at ‘Lean’ applications in one of our WOW! regions.
Q: What profession would you not like to do and why? I was a waitress when I was in college – it’s a really tough, thankless job.  Consequently, I’m a really good tipper!
Q: How long have you been working at WOW!? My 9-year anniversary is 11/26/2010.
Q:  What’s one of your favorite things about working at WOW!? The most important thing of all – our culture.  Our Servanthood approach proves time and again that happy, well-appreciated employees will create happy, loyal customers.
Q: If you could live anywhere, where would you live? Why there? I would live on a small lake in a small town, where ‘everybody knows your name.’  I would have a restaurant that served breakfast and lunch on Tuesday thru Friday only, and it would feature the artwork, crafts and trades of the local folks on the walls and shelves.  Why?  I love to fish, I love to cook and I love the idea of a small, self-supporting community.  Maybe it’s my rose-colored glasses, but doesn’t it sound great?!
Q: What is your favorite part about your WOW! Buzz category? I get to talk about why WOW! is such a great place to work, and the special moments and special people who make it that way.
Q: What is the one word you think of when you describe working here at WOW!? Happy.
Q:  Tell me about one of your favorite WOW! Moments: It was mid-January, going on 7pm and I was exhausted.  I knew it had been snowing for most of the afternoon and I did not have my boots with me.  I left my office looking down so I could pick my way through other people’s footprints to my car.  When I got to it and looked up, viola!  It was totally cleared of snow – windshield, side windows, back window, even the wipers were scraped off.  The VP of Tech Ops had been parked next to me and when Floyd cleaned his own car off, he did mine too.  How special was that?!

Your resident tech guru, Steve Stanfill (Technology Editor), is up tomorrow.  I wonder what his favorite word will be?!