The Equinox Team Mom

By Amy Oldham
April 22, 2016

We are quite proud of a number of things around here at Equinox. First and foremost, we love our customers and have great relationships with them. Secondly, thanks to the commitment of company founders Wayne Lowe and Byron Middendorf, we have a great work environment. These two factors directly contribute to our third point of pride—we continually buck the trend in employee longevity, with an average tenure of 15+ years at Equinox. In fact, there are several employees who have been part of the Equinox team for over 20 years. In an age when people move from company to company every 4.5 years on average, how is it that Equinox has kept so many folks on board for so long?

In just few days, we will celebrate Lesa Grubbs’ 23rd anniversary with Equinox. Based on her longevity here, I asked for Lesa’s theory on why people stick around Equinox. More importantly, I asked her because she is our self-proclaimed Equinox Team Mom. She schedules, coordinates, and organizes virtually every aspect of Equinox operations, so she truly has her finger on the pulse of life at Equinox! Her answer is simple yet profound, “Equinox is like family, one who celebrates together the successes of our children and families and who also supports each other during hard times. I can’t imagine being anywhere other than Equinox!”

And I know Lesa really means that, because she has twice left and rejoined Equinox since her initial start in May of 1993. Both departures centered around her son’s health issues starting just after he was a year old. Although Byron and Wayne understood her need to take a break from the corporate world, they did miss her to the point that when Byron pulled alongside Lesa at a traffic light one afternoon after her first leave, he asked her to return to Equinox. In true family style, Byron and Wayne worked with Lesa to accommodate her son’s schedule, which allowed her to stay for good after the second leave of absence.

It’s no surprise then that Lesa said her favorite part of the job is flexibility to accommodate her son’s and family’s needs. She quickly notes that Byron often announces how Kenneth did at Special Olympics or that he went to prom because these milestones are important to her family. Lesa also credits the support of the entire Equinox family as another favorite part of her job by saying, “When Kenneth had seizures and was hospitalized in 1996, Wayne's wife, Linda, came to the hospital. Having the owner’s wife visit the hospital demonstrated the truly family-oriented nature of EIS. Years later, when I broke my foot, Amy arranged an appointment for me with her ortho doc, drove me to the appointment, and spent the entire day with me there and at the hospital. For the next 6 weeks, Christi and Ernest drove me home until I was able to drive again. And there have been numerous times when my coworkers have brought food to me during a family emergency.”

When asked to comment on Lesa’s upcoming anniversary, Wayne Lowe had this to say, “Our customers are the focus of all that we do. That applies not only to the forward-facing customer initiatives but also to the necessary, behind-the-scenes tasks that keep Equinox going. And that’s where Lesa comes in...she is the central cog that keeps the Equinox machine humming along at peak efficiency. She takes care of everything from office supplies and shipping, to building repairs and User Group Meeting logistics, to the most important task of all—making sure we have the correct kind of candy and snacks on hand at all times! Seriously, I cannot even list all of the administrative tasks Lesa does for us, but I can tell you that she does all of them well and in an extremely organized manner. Every department at Equinox benefits from Lesa’s careful attention to the daily details of this office, and we are grateful she is here!”

As a model of organizational efficiency, Lesa is well suited for her job at Equinox. Her work touches every department across the entire company. She also works closely with customers as part of Equinox’s User Group Meetings. Byron best sums up her contributions by noting, “Lesa has played an important role in our growth and success over the years. Her efficiency at running the office and being diligent at documenting all office procedures has paid off over and over. Also, her natural hospitality towards customers, employees, and other guests to the office is a vital element of our success in creating a great place to work!”

Equinox employees and customer alike know that Lesa is an indispensable member of the team. We are grateful for her hard work these past 23 years and are so glad that our Team Mom is around to keep us in line. On a related note, Lesa wants to remind all of you who sneak “free” candy from the conference room that, like all moms, she has keen sense of hearing and eyes in the back of her head!

About the Author: Amy Oldham is in Corporate Communications at Equinox Information Systems, where she creates and maintains the company’s technical documentation as well as all other customer-facing publications. Amy is also responsible for the company’s newsletter, email campaigns, press releases, and social media presence. When not writing, Amy enjoys spending time with her family, playing tennis, and swimming.
To learn more about Equinox, its products, and the people who power them, visit www.equinoxis.com or call (615) 612-1200.