Employee Spotlight: Growing and Empowering the Heritage Family

Today, we’re excited to share a spotlight Q&A with a special member of the Heritage team who embodies the culture that defines us, both internally and externally. Through her work as a Corporate Recruiting Manager at Heritage Environmental Services, Sue Kieweg helps to empower the company’s most important asset – the Heritage family.

As we work towards our mission of protecting human health and the environment, it is the partnerships within our teams that allow us to truly make a difference for our customers, the community, and the planet. Read on to learn more about Sue’s role, and how investments in the Heritage family set our teams up for growth and success in their purposeful work.

Please describe your role at Heritage.

I am the Corporate Recruiting Manager responsible for recruiting top talent across all our locations in all areas of business. I am heavily involved in identifying and implementing process improvements, and collaborate with other recruiters from The Heritage Group.

How long have you been with the company?

I have been with Heritage since November 2016. When I was contacted by the recruiter, I remember not knowing the Heritage name or what the company did. Talking about it in my social circle, someone told me their cousin worked for Heritage and that no matter what, I needed to interview. I was told that it was an amazing company to work for and should not pass up the opportunity.

After doing some research on my own, I was impressed and continued through the process. I was even more impressed during the interview process where I met with five women, all who had been with the company for 5-20 years. All but one had been in manager, director, or vice president level roles. Since then, many have been promoted again, including Winde Hamrick to Chief Operating Officer. It truly was inspiring.

Why do you think employees choose to stay at Heritage?

One of the best and easiest parts of my job is to tell candidates about the amazing company Heritage is, and the longevity we have in our workforce. It is not uncommon to hear employees have been here 10, 20, and 30 + years. I think people stay with Heritage because we are like a family, in good times and bad. Employees know that when they come to work, it is a safe place that allows them to do a good job and be a valued member of the success of the company. We offer many benefits that other companies do not. I strongly believe it has a lot more to do with being a part of the Heritage family.

Please describe what the “Heritage Family” means to you.

To me, the “Heritage Family” is the PEOPLE. I have never worked at a company that values its employees as much as Heritage. I always tell candidates I have the opportunity to work with amazing people every day. We have an executive team that engages with employees. It is not uncommon for any of them to walk in the office and talk to you, not only about work, but about your family as well. They take the time to learn about the people as well as listen to them and truly care. I am lucky that I work in an amazing Human Resources department and get to collaborate and learn something new every day. I am also lucky to work with so many managers and candidates – helping managers grow their departments and helping candidates find their work “home.” We have a great saying here in HR when someone new joins Heritage: “Welcome to the Family!”

How would you describe the Heritage culture?

This is the most frequent question I get from candidates. To me, the culture is always going to relate back to family. I have worked for a family-owned company in the past as well as a large global company. I never feel like a number here at Heritage. I have seen so many wonderful things this company has done for its employees, from little gestures to major life events, and every time I am wowed. Integrity also pays a big part in our success as employees and a company. I strongly believe in our vison as well as our core values and share this with all potential employees.

How does investing in people and teams enable growth?

By investing in in our employees and teams, we are building a family that continues to grow in so many different areas of business. Since I have joined Heritage, we have had at least four acquisitions and I am sure there are more in the future. This allows our employees to have opportunities to learn and grow.

How does Heritage continuously invest in its employees?

Heritage invests in its employees by empowering them with the freedom to learn and grow. I am a great example of this, as I was brought in as a recruiter and given freedom to set up my own recruitment process and strategy. After 12 months I was promoted to Corporate Recruiting Manager and given the opportunity to start a recruiting department. Today I have two staffing coordinators working with me and I hope we continue to grow. I think the opportunities at Heritage are endless. We encourage promoting from within and having discussions with employees on where they would like to see themselves in the future as well.

What’s your favorite part of your job?

This is tough because there are so many things I love – but I would say that the building of relationships with manager, co-workers, and candidates throughout the process is my favorite part. Especially with candidates. I get to tell the story about how I came to Heritage, plus I get to share information about a great company, a great culture, and the great people I get to work with. I tell people all the time that I have the easiest job because everything I speak about is the truth. The best part is when someone is hired, they come back and tell me that everything I told them is true!