Missie Beckmann chosen for the Holiday Excellence Award

Missie Beckmann grew up in the small town of Wells in southern Minnesota.  She and her daughter moved to Ames, Iowa for about four years before moving back to her hometown.  When her daughter went off on her own, Missie decided to make a change and moved to the Cologne area, where she rented a friend’s basement apartment and started working at the Holiday Station.  “I’ve been in management on and off for nearly thirty years,” she said.  “I started here in April, and met my fiancé, who was a customer of the store, in August.   That was nine years ago.  It’s amazing how fast time has gone!”
Missie loves working at the store, because, she says, she honestly feels like she’s where she’s supposed to be.  “People have asked me if I wanted to try excelling at something else, but I really take pride in my job.  I’m the manager, but I do everything my associates do, and I don’t take that role for granted.  I find joy in training my associates in the way I would want to be trained.”
Missie started as an associate in the Cologne store, then was promoted to work in management in the Waverly store.  It was under Missie’s management that the Waverly store won the pinnacle award last year for store excellence.  This year, she had the opportunity to be chosen among 101 potential franchise managers for the Excellence Award, and she feels it is an incredible honor that she was chosen.   To be in the nomination, a holiday markets manager will conduct regular inspections of your store, and make sure that it is running smoothly.  The manager will ensure that product is up to date, the store is clean and well-organized, sales are up to Holiday standards, and staff is courteous with customers.  “Basically, the nomination goes through different levels of management, all the way up to the Vice President of the company, who gave me the award. I was so appreciative of what he said, that me and my associates are happy about greeting customers, and how welcoming we are, as well as how efficiently we stock the store. It was awesome to be recognized like that.”
Missie can’t express enough her appreciation for the company. “I love working for Mid-County.  It’s very family oriented, and it feels like we’re just one big family.  I like it because I’m not just a number here, and the coop appreciates the actual individual.”
Missie takes pride in being able to donate to different community needs throughout the year.  “Mid-County is also very community oriented; we’re all about helping the community, and that helps us as a local business.”
Missie received a trophy for her achievement in winning the Excellence Award, and also a travel voucher for a well-deserved vacation.  She and her fiancé are planning a cruise, hopefully somewhere warm and tropical, and she looks forward to that.  In her spare time, Missie enjoys spending time with her fiancé’s grandchildren, scrapbooking and camping.
Missie enjoys her time, both at work and at home, saying, “I’m very happy with where I’m at.”