As the main writer for this blog site, I get to do a lot of cool things (and get to know a lot of interesting people). A few weeks ago when I sat down with our Arena Software Trainer, Ben Lane, I got to learn a lot more about his life inside and outside of Shelby. That got me thinking about who I could talk to next.
So… today let’s meet Karen Bishop! She is Shelby’s Events Manager and she did a great job of letting me in on what she does, who she is, and why Shelby is so important to her. If you ever want to meet a kind-hearted and highly driven person, you will definitely find that in Karen. Interestingly enough, Karen’s brother-in-law, Ernie Hamilton, was the founder of Shelby Systems.
When I asked Karen about her hobbies, she said she has really come to love working out in just the last 2 years. She recently completed the St. Jude Half Marathon in Memphis last December. She also enjoys knitting, traveling, a cup of coffee with friends at Starbucks, and deep conversations.
Once a school teacher and grad student, Karen left that life to help support her family with their new company. Of Shelby’s 35 year existence, Karen has been here for 26, first starting out in the Sales and Marketing Department. She really enjoys being in Events now, and explained that,
“Each day is different here… every hour is different! Right now, we’re getting classes in order for ISC (International Shelby Conference). We’ve got new sessions that will happen in the evenings where people can meet with other customers to see how they are using certain features, such as Check-In or Membership. We’ve also got Grammy award-winning artist, Nicole C. Mullen, performing this year… and we are so excited about that.”
“I love working here,” said Karen, “I love the people who work here and I think we have the best customers anywhere… so when you put it all together, I just have it made.”