Richie Shreves is in her 11th year with GUC as the Director of Human Resources. In addition to a Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, she holds a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) certification from the Human Resources Certification Institute, a Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP) certification from the Society for Human Resource Management and is entrusted with the overall management responsibility for the HR Department.
Under Richie’s leadership, our HR Department has successfully restructured over the past few years into a business partner framework to maximize their ability to best serve Greenville Utilities. The Department now has Business Partners and HR Specialists who collaborate to support their assigned departments as a primary resource for all policies, benefits, and employee relations questions, concerns, recruitment, and on-boarding. Organizational training and development remain top priorities as well.
Prior to joining GUC in 2014, Richie worked for IDX Impressions as HR Manager and, previously, 21 years at NACCO in Human Resources. She is an active member of the NC Coastal Society for Human Resources Management.
Locally, Richie is active with Riley’s Army and recently wrapped up her six-year term on their Board. She plans to continue being active with the group.
FUN FACT! Richie takes crafting and baking to a new level. Her first crafting skill and passion is repurposing things for another use or decoration. She especially loves browsing the aisles of dollar stores, looking for unsuspecting good deals to repurpose or improve. Richie’s newest creative endeavor is cookie decorating. She likes to use her crafting, love for decorating, and cookie skills in planning events and parties, most recently with all three of her daughters’ weddings. Her grandchildren get spoiled with these talents as well, from extra special birthday parties and cookies to Halloween costumes (excavator costume was on the lineup last year).
Did you choose leadership or did leadership choose you?
I would say leadership chose me. I planned to be a nurse until I received a full academic scholarship from Eagle Snacks in Robersonville that required me to choose a major within business. During my first semester at ECU, I majored in accounting, since I’m detail-oriented and good with numbers. I did well in my first two accounting classes but knew I didn’t want to do that all day, every day. I had no idea what HR was but started digging around in the different business courses and saw that ECU had a concentration in HR. This intrigued me since I could still help people, similar to my initial plan to major in nursing.
What have you enjoyed most about your leadership role?
I don’t look at myself any differently from when I was in a general HR role and don’t mind doing the same things I did in the past. I enjoyed my role at IDX in pretty much starting their HR Department, since they were relying on their sister facility in Virginia for HR. And I’m very proud that our HR team here at GUC was able to take our department from something that was transactional to being a partner with other departments – making our team more transformational. It was a joy working with my team to bring that vision to life and continuing to hone it.
What have you enjoyed most about your career in the utility industry?
Before coming to GUC, I was always in manufacturing of some sort, so I’ve enjoyed learning about the utility industry. Not only the industry as a whole, but the utilities themselves. Still to this day when I take the Wastewater Treatment Plant tour, I learn something new every time. So many very smart people work at GUC!
What advice do you give to those new to a leadership role?
Don’t get too big for your britches because you don’t know everything. The quickest way to find out that you don’t know everything is to act like you do know everything. You alienate people this way.
How do you approach decision-making in challenging situations?
This can be particularly challenging in HR since it is always about a person or multiple people. When you are looking at discipline or termination, you can’t help but think your decision is impacting a family; but really your decision is based on an individual’s actions. I approach it by being careful and not making knee-jerk decisions. Couple that with the understanding that you don’t have all of the time in the world to get every speck of information. Make the most well-informed decision that you can live with.
Did you have any role models or mentors who helped you along the way, and can you share any of their advice?
No formal role models or mentors, but my husband and I both worked at NACCO in Human Resources and reported to the same manager. We often reflect back on how much we learned at NACCO since it was such a big organization. They were very sophisticated in terms of processes and policies, so it was a good way to learn the trade. I did have the same boss the whole time, and he taught me a lot - good and bad, dos and don’ts.
How do you prioritize work-life balance as a leader?
I learned the hard way on this one before becoming a leader. Being more deliberate with personal time while still getting work done is key. While at NACCO, I put my job first for a really long time. When I left that job and went to IDX, I realized quickly that my former company moved right along without me. I asked myself, “was it really worth it to miss all that I missed in my personal life?” That caused me to start being very deliberate about making sure that work is not putting family on the back burner. It does take some creative juggling sometimes to be able to get everything done. When I got sick a few years ago with cancer, it changed everything about my perspective. I do not sweat the little things anymore. It’ll all work out.
What is your proudest career accomplishment?
I’m proud of our department’s restructuring. Lena and I shared the same vision, so we took the opportunity whenever we could to move towards where we are today. Several of our directors have also recently mentioned how much they appreciate having their HR Business Partners, and how much they have found that HR has been able to better help them, especially with succession planning. This HR team is incredibly talented, and I am so thankful to get to work alongside them.
What would you like us to know about your family?
My husband, Mike, and I have a blended family. I have three daughters – Samantha, Hillary and Kylie - who are all grown and “off the payroll.” I also have a stepson and stepdaughter, Grayson and Leigh, who are also both adults. And I have two grandsons, Camden and Sutton, and two step-grandchildren, Emilee and Beau. I grew up just 30 minutes down the road in Williamston, living most of my life in Martin County.
What is your favorite family or holiday tradition?
Mike and I go to Ocracoke every February to celebrate our wedding anniversary, which is where we went on our honeymoon. My favorite Christmas tradition is making baked goods for friends and neighbors with my youngest daughter, Kylie.
Who is your favorite band, singer, or music genre?
Most often I listen to country and contemporary Christian. I also like blues, 80s music, Motown, and disco music.
What have been your favorite travel destinations?
Besides Ocracoke, we love going to the high country in the NC mountains, mostly the Banner Elk and Beech Mountain areas, once or twice a year.
What is at the top of your bucket list?
Mike and I want to go see the Northern Lights. We have yet to narrow down to a specific location. We just want to go where the lights are very visible.
What’s your favorite season of the year?
Fall.
Do you have a favorite sports team?
Carolina Hurricanes.
Do you have a favorite quote?
“It’s okay to have a pity party, just don’t stay at the party,” is a quote that I came up with during my breast cancer battle.
