Jessica Craft and Erin Feiles
In her novel Little Women, Louisa May Alcott wrote, “It takes two flints to make a fire.”
IT department aces Jessica Craft and Erin Feiles are two flints that set Western Window Systems ablaze with excellence and innovation this year. Craft, SQL Report Developer, and Feiles, Data Warehouse/Business Intelligence Developer, work so closely together that many people view them as inseparable. Together, they completed 39 different progress reports for the finance department in 2019.
Their efforts helped propel other departments at Western Window Systems. Craft, who started with the company in March 2018, assisted the supply chain team with a report regarding vendor lead times and created a forecasting tool for the Volume Program sales team.
“Jess helps support everyone in the company by understanding processes and explaining data to others,” says America Silva, IT Director of Software Services. “She has created dashboards that have become incredibly valuable in helping us understand the data to make better decisions.”
Feiles, who started with the company in November 2018, created dashboards for the quality control department and developed an application for the shipping team that helps them load the correct materials and improve delivery times. “Erin continues to find ways to solve limitations and always thinks outside the box,” Silva says. “She is an example of someone who always finds new solutions.”
When presenting Craft and Feiles with their awards at the Western Window Systems year-end company gathering in December, president Scott Gates said, “These two have touched every part of our business. We felt like their impact on the broader company was exceptional this year.”
Congratulations to Jessica Craft and Erin Feiles, Western Window Systems’ office employees of the year for 2019!
Learn more about Jessica Craft and Erin Feiles by reading their Q&A below:
Where are you from?
Jessica Craft: New Hampshire
Erin Feiles: California, Texas, Colorado, New York, and Arizona
What song would you say best sums you up?
JC: “Carry On” by Pat Green
EF: “It’s My Life” by Bon Jovi
What is your favorite sport to watch or play?
JC: Beer pong
EF: If I ever watch a sport, it’s only football.
What are your hobbies?
JC: Raising my son and two dogs
EF: Gaming – video, virtual reality (VR), Dungeons & Dragons (D&D); learning beadwork; getting into paramotoring
Who do you look up to/admire?
JC: My dad
EF: My parents and my brother
Where do you most want to travel, but have never been?
JC: Pacific Northwest
EF: Scotland
If money were no object, what would you do all day?
JC: Get my son an amazing tutor so we could travel the world
EF: Make an animal rescue place and play with them all
What is your favorite family recipe?
JC: Ranch chicken
EF: Mom’s chicken salad and egg salad
What is your favorite movie?
JC: Harold & Maude
EF: It’s a tie: Labyrinth and Princess Bride. Can’t say. Star Wars – it’s a given.
What is your biggest success up until now?
JC: My wonderful son, Liam
EF: The life I have recently built for myself. I am now seeing the fruits of all my labors.
What’s your favorite part of working at Western Window Systems?
JC: I love the culture and all the people!
EF: The people, the laughter, the challenge
What is one fun fact about yourself that almost no one knows?
JC: I actually enjoy the kids’ shows I watch with my son, and I even re-watch some of them once he’s gone to bed.
EF: I love Stars Wars so much that I have a Star Wars tattoo.
