A Growth Mindset

Fourteen years ago Sheena had never heard of Janicki and never set foot in Sedro-Woolley. At the time, she thought of it as “wayyyyyy upriver.”

Sheena spent 13 years working for Haggen, during which time she earned a retail management certificate from Skagit Valley College in 2006. With three young children and her spouse experiencing serious medical challenges, she continued taking courses and completed an Associate of Technical Arts degree in Business Management in 2008.

Her SVC mentor, Kathy, made a surprise call in 2012 asking if Sheena would consider a job opportunity at Janicki. The position reported to Kathy’s husband, Jim, who was Janicki’s vice president of marine at the time. Sheena took a three-hour company tour but heard nothing for several weeks. However, her 11-year-old son, who had conducted extensive research on Janicki and was hoping for carbon fiber samples, discovered a job offer from the company buried in her spam folder.

Sheena started working at Janicki in technical sales, despite not considering herself especially technical. Since then, she has held several roles supporting the marine team, including sales and contracts administrator, and now program support admin senior.

Sheena describes her role as supporting a project from cradle to grave. She initiates quotes; establishes non-disclosure agreements and reviews contracts; monitors projects; manages invoicing and closeout; and supports tradeshows, customer visits and employee training.

Over the years, she has supported a wide range of programs. One of her favorites remains Stratolaunch, a program that she supported early in her Janicki career. “I was able to get to know the team and spend time on the production floor with them,” she says. That included climbing onto the vehicle’s outboard wing during a visit at the customer’s facility.

Other memorable projects for Sheena include supporting large-scale fish tanks, wind blades, yachts and buses.

Continuing to Grow

Growth is a consistent part of Sheena’s time at Janicki, both professionally and personally.

In addition to earning an associate’s degree early in her career, she recently completed two degrees through Western Governors University: a Bachelor of Science in Business Management and a Master of Science in Management and Leadership. She has just started her Master of Business Administration this September.

For Sheena, continuing to learn is less about reaching a finish line and more about building skills she can bring to the people and projects around her.

She points to two things when asked what she enjoys most about her work: the company and the opportunity to help others succeed. “I love that I work for a company that is pretty incredible, founded and run by people that I’m proud to work for and with,” she says.

She also values being able to facilitate the success of people around her.

Outside of Work

These days, much of Sheena’s time outside of work is spent with her two young granddaughters. She is also a Rotarian and shares her home with three Chihuahuas.

When she has time, she enjoys reading and crafting, although she admits that school makes it difficult to make time for her hobbies.

Her life before Janicki has included a few unexpected turns. By the time she was 16, she had moved at least 14 times. She enjoyed working as an orthodontist’s assistant, once owned a children’s consignment store in Mount Vernon, and supported her husband’s plumbing and construction business for many years. Perhaps that history helps explain the three words Sheena uses to describe herself: empathetic, introspective and responsible.

Closing

From a retail management certificate to an MBA, Sheena has continued to build on what she knows and look for opportunities to grow.

Fourteen years after first hearing about Janicki, she has built a career supporting teams, customers, and programs across the marine organization and continues to find new ways to contribute.

Want to learn more about our Marine team? Visit our Janicki Marine for more information.