In spite of a faltering economy and ever-expanding unemployment rate, the Southeast Management/ Plantation Storage family is standing strong--refusing to waiver from its commitment to offer the high-quality self storage, a wide selection of packing supplies, exceptional customer service, and expert property management for which it is so well known.
This "customers come first" approach actually has its roots with SEM/Plantation's home office team, made up of owner Charles Chase and chief financial officer, Wendy Ashburn. In spite of his "captain of the (company) ship" position, Mr. Chase confesses that much of Southeast Management’s success is attributable to Mrs. Ashburn’s behind-the-scenes efforts. For more than two decades, Wendy has served as Charles’ “gal Friday,” attending to a myriad of administrative details such as: financial resources analysis and oversight, human resources and payroll, and various other office management tasks.
Staff members at the four company-owned facilities clearly appreciate Ms. Ashburn’s helpfulness and dedication as well. Colleen Wood, long-time relief manager for the Sparkleberry Lane facility in Columbia, recently gushed, “Wendy is an absolute sweetheart! She's extremely knowledgeable, highly competent, unfailingly helpful, and has a marvelous sense of humor. No matter what we need, she's always ready and willing to help.” Vice President of Operations, March Chase, echoes these sentiments, describing Wendy as “a great sounding board,” who is “wiser than all of us put together.”
Though it hasn’t always been easy to juggle the many responsibilities required by her position with the company, that doesn’t seem to be a deterrent for Ms. Ashburn, who readily admits that facing and conquering new challenges is her very favorite part of the job. Now you know why we call Wendy the "hidden hero" of Southeast Management Company and Plantation Storage!
By Anne Youngblood, Assistant Manager
Hardscrabble Road facility, Columbia, SC
