Employee Spotlight

Learn More About Our Team Members

At Mr. Rogers Windows and Doors, we truly have some outstanding employees. Hard work, dedication, professionalism, and a great sense of community are all common themes amongst our staff. Every member of our team brings something unique to the role they have at Mr. Rogers. This ongoing feature shines a spotlight on an employee every month to introduce our visitors to the people that make our company special.

Mike Von

Position:
Install Tech
Date you started working for Mr. Rogers Windows?
I started working here October 29.

What do you like most about working here?
My boss, Shawn Tennien.

What has been your favorite project working here?
I enjoyed the Benton Project.

Do you have any advice for prospects or new hires?
Stick with a great job!

How do you like to spend your free time?
I play guitar.

What are you most proud of?
My kids.

Jeff Brinkley

Position:
Design Consultant
Date you started working for Mr. Rogers Windows?
I started working here on August 28, 2017.

What do you like most about working here?
I have made a few friends along the way. Also, knowing that we have the best window, and the best installation, is a confidence builder.

What has been your favorite project working here?
Any of the projects that I have been involved with, where we have made a big difference in the quality of someone’s life, have been the most important to me.

Do you have any advice for prospects or new hires?
Breathe. It will feel like you are drinking from a fire hose, for a while. After some time, you will develop your own rhythm, and you won’t feel so overwhelmed.

How do you like to spend your free time?
I’ve heard of that. Sounds nice. I don’t have much free time, but I’m a huge fan of live music, stand-up comedy, and karaoke. Rap battles, too. If there is a mic, I’m down.

What are you most proud of?
Professionally, I am most proud of my consistency. Personally, I am most proud of my daughter, Simone. She is one semester away from getting her Associates degree in Elementary Education. She plans on transferring to ODU, getting her Bachelors degree, and becoming a second grade teacher.

Cody McCall

Position:
Crew Leader
Date you started working for Mr. Rogers Windows?
5/18/2015

What do you like most about working here?
The atmosphere, and the people. Plus the chance to make stuff look better.

What has been your favorite project working here?
There was a job that had 84 windows!

Do you have any advice for prospects or new hires?
Always be open minded and willing to learn

How do you like to spend your free time?
Playing with my dog and being with my fiance and family

What are you most proud of?
I like doing jobs that no one else likes to do.

Joseph Smith

Position:
Call Center Agent
Date you started working for Mr. Rogers Windows?
Feb 4, 2020

What do you like most about working here?
My coworkers, I love the people I work with and the energy they bring to the day

What has been your favorite project working here?
I really enjoyed doing ride-alongs with the design consultants. I like seeing how different parts of the business operate.

Do you have any advice for prospects or new hires?
Try to keep a positive attitude and soak up as much information as possible from people training you. Also everybody here is very helpful so don't be afraid to ask questions.

How do you like to spend your free time?
Most of the time video games or spending time with the family, but I also love hiking and sports!

What are you most proud of?
I earned my degree from Virginia Tech shortly before starting my position here, so I'm very proud to be a Hokie!

MJ Rodriguez

Position:
Service Coordinator
Date you started working for Mr. Rogers Windows?
June 22. 2020

What do you like most about working here?
Positive atmosphere, helpful management, and co-workers

What has been your favorite project working here?
Learning service and helping to train someone else regarding the service department.

Do you have any advice for prospects or new hires?
To be willing to learn and always put yourself in the homeowners' shoes/ place to understand their perspective or where they are coming from.

How do you like to spend your free time?
During my free time I enjoy spending my time outdoors whenever possible ( especially in the spring and summer) I love going to the beach and going to visit with my sister and her children.

What are you most proud of?
From my experience working here, realizing how much I have learned.

Mary Gowans

Position:
Design Consultant
Date you started working for Mr. Rogers Windows?
09/20/2019

What do you like most about working here?
I really love the team atmosphere and how everyone likes to see each other succeed. I also really enjoy seeing a project from start to finish, and having a homeowner tell me how very much they love their new windows or doors.

What has been your favorite project working here?
I worked with a young lady who had recently bought her first home. She really needed some windows replaced, and she also really wanted a new picture window in the front of her home. It took a little work, but I was able to with help from our great finance team get her approved for both the windows she needed and the picture window she really wanted. She was beyond happy.

Do you have any advice for prospects or new hires?
If you are willing to work hard and put the time in, Mr. Rogers Windows is a great, family oriented company that will allow you much success.

How do you like to spend your free time?
I truly just love spending time with my family. My husband Curtis, daughter Betty and son Cj all hold my heart, and I really just like doing movies, pool time, or grilling with them. For me, family is everything.

What are you most proud of?
I took a huge leap of faith, when I changed career paths especially at my age. I had been selling insurance for roughly 15 years, and I had no clue what home improvements even involved. Thankfully, I have had a ton of support from my peers and management, and I have been able to make a really rewarding and profitable career selling something tangible that my customer’s can enjoy.

Shawn Emch

Position:
Crew Leader
How long have you been with the company?
I started 03/24/2014.

What do you like most about working here?
Get to meet many different types of people/customers.

What has been your favorite project working here?
Large wall of windows on the water.

Do you have any advice for prospects or new hires?
To be humble.

How do you like to spend your free time?
With my daughter.

What are you most proud of?
Being able to raise an awesome kid.

Meredith Cella

Position:
Design Consultant
How long have you been with the company?
I started 05/30/2017.

What do you like most about working here?
I love the team atmosphere and meeting new people everyday.

What has been your favorite project working here?
A young couple own an older home in Ivor. The house and windows were white. We replaced their rotting wood windows with black composite interior/exterior. We also replaced all of their doors with black fiberglass doors. They couldn’t be happier and the house looks stunning! They were so much fun to work with.

Do you have any advice for prospects or new hires?
We have a great training program with a ton of information. They set you up for success. Take the time to learn the system and it will pay off.

How do you like to spend your free time?
Covid has slowed it down but I have always loved supporting local musicians. I also love to shoot pool and am a huge football fan; GO NINERS!!!

What are you most proud of?
I am proud of how far I have come in the three years that I’ve been with the company. I have learned so much from numerous team members, past and present.

Alyssa Hooper

Position:
ISC Specialty Agent

How long have you been with the company?
May of 2019

What do you like most about working here?
Everyone here is really friendly. These people are like my family, literally...

What has been your favorite project working here?
I really enjoyed the transition from Agent to Specialty Agent. I love learning new things and I feel like there's always room for growth in this company. But, any project that involves food is a close second.

Do you have any advice for prospects or new hires?
There is always room for improvement! It's okay not to know everything. We are ALL constantly learning new things and for every error, there is a new training opportunity.

How do you like to spend your free time?
Makeup is my favorite pastime. I also really enjoy being in the house, whether that's sleeping, watching youtube, or spending time with my dogs.

What are you most proud of?
I'm proud of MY team for not only staying motivated but also for all of their hard work that has gone into meeting our goals. May I brag? None of this would be possible without our fearless leader!

Darrius Griffin

Position:
Canvas Team

How long have you been with the company?
Since October 2019

What do you like most about working here?
Working and engaging with people.

What has been your favorite project working here?
Training others on how to succeed.

Do you have any advice for prospects or new hires?
Be okay with failure. Even if you come out of the gate with success, you will have days that don’t go your way and that’s okay. Learn from it and don’t carry it with you.

How do you like to spend your free time?
Reading, spending quality time with my family and friends.

What are you most proud of?
Being able to watch others I help get started and succeed.

Jennifer van der Helm

Position:
Assistant Marketing Director

How long have you been with the company?
I started working at MRW August 2018

What do you like most about working here?
I love the Mission of the company, the people who work here, and the giving spirit towards local and international communities in need.

What has been your favorite project working here?
I am tasked with compiling the quarterly newsletter. It not only keeps me up-to-date on all the things happening around the company but it provides me an opportunity to interact with other departments and people I may not always get a chance to interact with.

Do you have any advice for prospects or new hires?
I would say to bring your A-game. We like to deliver the W.O.W. and we can only do that as a team with people who are willing to learn, adapt, and excel.

How do you like to spend your free time?
In my free time I cuddle with my adorable kitties, cook and bake amazing food, work on house projects, cheer on the Washington Capitals, and binge Netflix. I also volunteer at the Chesapeake Animal Shelter where I foster stray mama cats and kittens and when it isn't kitten season, you can find me cleaning cat cages or washing/drying/folding laundry at the shelter.

What are you most proud of?
I am most proud of my work with the shelter. It is so rewarding to foster healthy or sick kittens and getting them ready for a forever home. Currently, I'm fostering an adult cat who needs lots of socializing as she is afraid of everything. Each positive shift in her demeanor is so rewarding. Fostering helps to cut down on very difficult decisions that the shelter faces to avoid overcrowding. Fostering saves lives. I hope everyone considers adoption and/or fostering.

Ed English

Position:
Design Consultant

How long have you been with the company?
I started working for Mr. Rogers Windows part Time back in 1987. That’s right before half of our current employees were even born ha ha. I went full time in 1996 and never looked back. It’s been a great career.

What do you like most about working here?
I have always loved working with the people here. I came from the government and you were constantly looking over your shoulder to see who was throwing you under the bus. I’ve always felt like Gerry had my back and that we worked together as a team trying to help each other succeed. I’ve built great relationships with many of our teammates like Kenny and Smiley. I’ve always felt like I could promise the customer the moon because I knew their teams could find a way to deliver it. I have always been proud of the integrity of our company, always doing the right thing for the customer, even when no one is looking, and I think that comes across to the customer.

What has been your favorite project working here?
I’ve sold so many jobs over the years it’s hard to pick just one. But I would probably say my first 90 thousand dollar sale. That was my first really huge sale.

Do you have any advice for prospects or new hires?
Listen to your trainer, no sense in reinventing the wheel. Keep an open mind and apply yourself. I started as a telemarketer, calling people basically out of the phone book every evening. And it just was a great fit for me. I moved up to telemarketing manager, and then up in sales. Just a dumb old high school graduate and aviation mechanic who was hungry for knowledge, and applied that knowledge and turned it into a very lucrative career. Most importantly, take pride in what you do. Take ownership and do every task with passion and enthusiasm.

How do you like to spend your free time?
My wife and I love the beach and camping. We have an old motorhome that we like to spend as much time as possible going and doing. We pull an old Jeep with us and love to drive on the beach. I also have 5 grandsons that keep us busy. And on those weekends we aren’t going, it’s hard to beat a lazy Sunday floating in the pool with my bestie, Roxanne.

What are you most proud of?
am proud that I have been able to provide a great life for my family. I am proud of the many friends I have made over the years at MRW. The customers I have truly helped, not just sold. And I have always been proud of the many team members that have come through that I have trained, mentored, and helped them along in their careers.

Angela Tan

Position:
Project Coordinator

How long have you been with the company?
I started working here in 2005, left 2016 and came back in July 2019

What do you like most about working here?
What I like most about working here is the friendly environment. It's almost like a family-like workplace where workers treat everyone with respect and also you can connect with your co-worker on a personal level.

What has been your favorite project working here?
As of now my favorite project is to make sure I complete my tasks on time.

Do you have any advice for prospects or new hires?
Be yourself, focus on your job and give your best 100%.

How do you like to spend your free time?
Sleeping

What are you most proud of?
I'm most proud of the fact that both management and the people working at Mr Rogers Windows consider me and recognize my contributions as an integral part of the company.

Kelly Montrose

Position:
Show & Event Promoter

How long have you been with the company?
Since March 2018

What do you like most about working here?
The high energy and positive attitude of myself and my team members! We truly are a part of an awesome event team!

What has been your favorite project working here?
Working Home Show events and describing the Renewal by Andersen experience that sets Mr. Rogers apart from other companies.

Do you have any advice for prospects or new hires?
Mr. Rogers Windows and Doors is a positive, upward mobility company to work for! Excellent training is provided and with a positive, teachable attitude you can grow within the company! Attitude is everything!
How do you like to spend your free time?
I enjoy riding my Pelaton Bike, yoga, reading, and any opportunity to spend time with my husband and two daughters!
What are you most proud of?
I have learned so much working at Mr. Rogers Windows and Doors! Every shift includes learning and growing to be my best. I’m most proud of how my skills have improved and the confidence it brings to being successful on the team!

Mike Veitch

Position:
Crew Leader

How long have you been with the company?
Almost 7 years.

What do you like most about working here?
Being given the opportunity to be part of Mr. Rogers Windows and Doors.

What has been your favorite project while working here?
Every job is my favorite!

Do you have any advice for prospects or new hires?
Get ready to be part of a first class, top notch company.
Do you have a nickname at work?
Mikey

How do you like to spend your free time?
With my family and friends.

What are you most proud of?
Being the best install crew.

Daniel Wood

Position:
Warehouse Manager

How long have you worked for Mr. Rogers Windows?
Just about 8 months

What do you like most about working here?
I like the people I work with and the camaraderie between all employees

What has been your favorite project while working here?
In the past month or so, we have completely reorganized the warehouse making my job easier
and helping everyone find the materials they need with ease.

Do you have any advice for prospects or new hires?
Be prepared to work hard everyday and provide first class customer service because that is what
MRRW is all about.

Do you have a nickname at work?
No, not really, some call me Dan but it’s mostly Daniel.

How do you like to spend your free time?
I like to spend a lot of time outdoors with my dogs and going to the beach. On a rainy day I like
to watch a ton of movies or play video games.

What are you most proud of?
That I found a job that I can excel at while continuing to learn something new everyday. Getting
through a crazy week makes all the hard work worth it.

Ashley Hooper

Position:
Specialty Agent

How long have you been with the company?
4 years

What do you like most about working here?

The opportunity to excel & grow

Do you have any advice for prospects or new hires?
Be ready to execute a system of predictable, repeatable, trainable processes.

Do you have a nickname at work?
No.

How do you like to spend your free time?
With my husband and kids.

What are you most proud of?
My growth with the company.

Jimmie Scott

Position:
Crew Leader

How long have you been with the company?
Five years

What do you like most about working here?
The ability to speak to upper management, and the opportunity for advancement.

What has been your favorite project while working here?
Becoming a crew leader.

Do you have a nickname at work?
Jimbo

How do you like to spend your free time?
Family time and spending time with children of God.

Any awards or accolades you'd like to share?
Gospel Artist - 2019!

Lisa Frieman

Position:
Executive Assistant

How long have you been with the company?
5 years.

What do you like most about working here?
The diversity of the people we get to work with. There are so many different personalities and life experiences that is is amazing to just talk with employees and learn about them and all the things they have done or what they want to do in life. And of course working directly for Gerry is fantastic!! He has taught me so much in the 5 years I have been here.

What has been your favorite project while working here?
Well there are too many to count, but two stand out. One was when we were able to get together in the Hampton Roads market and install a couple of windows for an elderly woman. We also helped to clean all her windows in her home, cleaned up her yard. We had a lot of the employees come help and even a few kids and a dog! That was rewarding. And then planning the Christmas Lunch is always a fun project-it seems like a lot of work as it’s getting prepared, but when we all sit down as one big family in the showroom to eat, talk, play games-it’s worth all the preparation that comes with it. And then being involved somewhat with helping Charlotte get theirs set up-it makes you feel like you are one family, not a “them” and “us”.

Do you have any advice for prospects or new hires?
For prospects: Always look like you want to start working as soon as you walk in the door. Read over your resume and make sure it’s up to date and contains no spelling/grammar errors. Take time to go to the website and find out who we are and what we are about.
For new employees: When training-take notes if you can. Everyone’s jobs become very busy and you can forget what you learned yesterday (especially at my age ;D ). Be open to feedback-take it and turn it into a positive - we never hire to watch someone fail so when you receive feedback it’s not to tell you what you are doing wrong, but to help bring out the qualities and talents we saw when we hired you. We always hire with the mindset of where can this person be in 5 years, we always want to see people grow in the company. My last word of advice-be sure to introduce yourself to other employees when you see them - get to know people in the company. We are a family as well here and we want to know about you!

Do you have a nickname at work?
Not one that has ever been said to my face :)

How do you like to spend your free time?
We get free time!? Just kidding - spending time with my husband and dogs is nice, and my daughter when she is in town. I also like to take time to read, work on my quilting projects and go to gun range with husband.