Sasser Restoration has many exceptional people on its team, one of whom is Linda Phillip.
Linda is known amongst her peers as being a leader, someone with a strong work ethic, who values integrity and is willing to go above and beyond to leave others better than she found them.
Prior to joining Sasser Restoration, Linda gained many valuable traits that she still carries with her today from her 30 years of experience as an administrator and retired Marine Corps Veteran. For one, she learned to lead. “I would never give {my marines} an order unless I had done it myself first,” she said.
The value of leadership in her life has not diminished since she retired but has been exemplified in her other walks of life through motherhood and her career. Linda is married to her husband and best friend Steve, also a retired Marine. Together, they have four children, Jade, Shawn, Gunner and Scout.
Over the years she has not only served her country but also served her children in an exemplary way. Linda volunteered as class mom, took on the role of treasurer for the PTO and Booster Club, chaperoned field trips, and was the team manager for basketball, lacrosse and soccer. “It was the best experience I’ve ever had to get to raise my children,” she said.
But there came a time when her youngest son said something to her that reignited a flame inside of her— he encouraged her to go back to work and do something for herself. And so she did.
She started back doing contract and consulting work for businesses throughout the community. But in 2018, when Hurricane Florence hit her home community in Wilmington, North Carolina, she was ready to rejoin the front lines and help others in their time of need.
But this time, boots on the ground took on a different meaning. She wasn’t putting on her uniform and reenlisting in the military, instead, she sought out and joined the restoration companies that were bringing buildings back to life.
She worked as an administrative officer and eventually became a project accountant for a restoration company in Camp Lejune. This experience helped to bridge the gap between her military background and the career path she was seeking. Linda describes it as “being in her element on both sides” where she knew the area, the military way of life but also was in touch with the restoration processes, the needs of both parties and how she was uniquely suited to help.
Now several years later, Linda is continuing to offer her invaluable skillsets, experiences and leadership skills for the greater good. She currently serves as Sasser Restoration’s Executive Project Assistant and is playing a pivotal role in bringing buildings back to life. Each day she is working with project managers and the leadership team on invoicing, project organization and billing.
“One of the reasons that I joined the military was to have a sense of belonging, and I have a sense of belonging at Sasser.”
Sasser Restoration’s leadership strives to make it so that everyone feels as if they are part of a community rather than just part of a company. By helping employees see the value in the work they do, they begin to take pride and ownership of the task at hand. This feeling of dedication, this sense of pride and the collective effort to provide responsiveness, service and quality bring our team together as one cohesive unit— a cohesive unit similar to what Linda experienced in the Marines.
“When you’re in the military stationed all over, your military family becomes your family. When people deployed, we came together and helped each other through thick and thin— and I feel that way with Sasser, too.”
Another aspect of the work that is especially valuable to Linda at Sasser Restoration is the interdepartmental collaboration and the sense of team.
“One thing I love about Sasser is that we understand you can’t do it by yourself. Everyone has a role and we work together to get the job done.” From project managers, technicians, and the labor team to finance and marketing— everyone is working together.
“I know I don’t know everything,” she said. “but I have past experiences and the military prepared me in systematics, hard work and sacrifice. I believe this ties into what we do at Sasser. We work hard; we value teamwork; we help customers who have had a flood or fire or other catastrophic disasters— and most importantly, we come in and provide hope.”
If you go back and look at Linda’s life, you can see the ripple effect she has had on people and communities for years. “I believe everything prepares you for something else and going through the military was preparing me for the work with my family and what I’m doing today.”
Linda is making a difference at Sasser Restoration, with the clients we work with, within our company and within her community— and you can too.
Sasser Restoration’s 25 by 25 campaign is an effort to hire 25 veterans by the year 2025. If Linda’s story sounds like yours and you also value leadership, loyalty, and discipline, we’d love to talk with you.
Learn more about Sasser Restoration’s open positions and apply online at https://www2.appone.com/Search/Search.aspx?ServerVar=sassercompanies.appone.com.
