Radiant Diamond Profile: Erika, Dining Services Director
Radiant Senior Living’s Mission Statement Recognition program highlights employees for their efforts and commitments in contributing to the common goal of the Radiant Senior Living mission. Team members at all Radiant communities earn points each month. There are four Radiant Jewel awards given as milestones of achievement. The Radiant Diamonds award recipients have earned over 2,400 points. As part of a series, we will be featuring profiles of our Radiant Diamond winners.
Erika takes great joy in celebrating her team, here she is awarding her team member Georgiana with Employee of the month.
Erika S., the Dining Services Director at Farmington Square Beaverton, rose into her current role on a 24-year journey working in senior living. She has always been interested in serving others, having previously held roles in the hospitality industry.
Working in senior living is inspiring to Erika because she makes a living providing happiness through “service” – a word one could tell she is passionate about when she says it. She shared that connecting with people one-on-one through her food is very rewarding.
For anyone seeking out a role in senior living, Erika said they need to want to serve others and have patience and empathy – and they should try it out. “When they see how we work, they’ll want to stay,” she said, with a smile.
Employee of the Year
Erika was voted as the Radiant Senior Living Employee of the Year in 2017. She is pictured here with Teddi Neilson, then Executive Director and now Operations Specialist and Jodi Guffee, Chief Operating Officer.
Farmington Square Beaverton is great, according to Erika, because everything is close by, it’s a nice area, and the staff feel like a family. “The people who work over here have worked here a long time,” she said. Her eyes shined with great appreciation for her teammates as she spoke about them. Many have been there for her through personal highs and lows. When she lost her mom, she said her teammates were fully there for her. “I don’t have words to explain how supportive they were,” she added. “I wasn’t alone.”
Erika is a proud mother, and in her spare time, she loves to read, cook, and travel. She hopes to do more of that! No matter what each day brings, Erika said she focuses on the positive. “I look for the best side of everything,” she said.