You don't often hear someone call home their favorite travel destination, like Tara Dixon did during her interview. But then, not everyone is from Charleston, South Carolina.

"I love and appreciate how beautiful the city is," said Tara. "I never really appreciated its beauty until I moved away. Of course I also love the fresh seafood and the many festivals and things to do there."

Tara grew up with all boys in her immediate and extended family in Charleston, and said she was a bit of a tomboy. But now, with 26-year-old daughter, Tiera, by her side, along with her mom who also now lives in Greenville, Tara loves to shop, travel, and read during her spare time. There is one passion, however, that carried over from her childhood, and that's football. "People are always surprised to learn how much I love NFL games," she said.

Tara says her daughter is her best friend. "We are thick as thieves. Wherever I go, she goes. We have fun together and really do love travelling several times each year to Charleston. We'll pick up and go other places, too, like Myrtle Beach." Her daughter has a job and an Information Technology Degree but is currently headed back to college to follow her passion in sign language interpretation. "I'm proud of Tiera for following her passion," she said.

With a Medical Assistant degree from Charleston's Trident Tech and an Associate in Arts from Pitt Community College under her belt, Tara is working towards a Bachelor degree from East Carolina University. "I've taken a break while I figure out which field I should concentrate on," she said. "There are so many options and I want to get it right."

Tara moved to Greenville in 1994 and joined Greenville Utilities soon after as a Cashier. In 2004, she began her job as a Customer Contact Representative (CCR) in the Customer Relations Department. Tara and her coworkers are often a customer's first contact with GUC, either in person or on the phone. New customers work with CCRs to have electric, water, sewer, and/or natural gas turned on. CCRs also receive all applications for new and existing residential, commercial, and industrial customers. In addition, they respond to customer inquiries, as well as bill service fees and deposits.

Tara's current location is at our Express Office where she works with customers in person.  In this capacity, she often assists builders throughout their construction projects with the on-going services they require from GUC.

When we asked Tara what she enjoys most about her job, she didn't even hesitate in answering that she likes meeting our customers. "We have so many different customers from so many different backgrounds," she said. "I especially love learning from customers who are from other countries. It's interesting and fun. I simply enjoy the aspect of helping people, whether it's getting them started in their new community, or explaining their bills."

Speaking of helpful, with a busy career fair "season" coming up, Tara says she looks forward to helping out Human Resources with school and college career fairs as needed. It's this helpful spirit in Tara and so many other employees that makes GUC a better place for our customers and each other.

Favorites:

Book — Harry Potter
TV Shows — The First 48 and House Hunters
Restaurant — Captain George's
Team — Redskins