Alliance Benefit Group presents our Employee Spotlight series, where we periodically introduce you to one of our employees. Through an informal interview, they will share their history and guiding philosophies.
Getting to Know Holly West, Client Relationship Manager
Meet Holly West. Holly has been with ABG for seven months and works as a Client Relationship Manager. She holds a B.S. degree in Business Administration-Finance from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville and brings with her over 18 years of experience working in the retirement industry. In 1998, Holly began her career administering ESOP Plans. From there, she moved on to administer all benefit plans for Ruby Tuesday until she moved to Memphis, TN to administer Defined Pension Plans for International Paper. She then became a Retirement Plan Conversions Coordinator, finally moving into the administration of Defined Contribution Plans where she has remained for over 15 years.
We sat down with Holly to learn more about the philosophies that guide her each day.
Q. What value(s) guide the work you do? Could you share a favorite quote, if you have one, related to that value or characteristic?
A. Knowing I play a factor in something as important as making people retirement ready so they can comfortably enjoy retirement after many years of hard work helps drive me in the retirement industry. I believe in going above and beyond what is needed to help people so I can make it easier on them.
I have enjoyed getting to know my clients over the years as we are all such unique, different people in the world.
Favorite quotes:
“The dictionary is the only place that success comes before work, work is the key to success, and hard work can help you accomplish anything.” ~Vince Lombardi.
“The difference between try and triumph is just a little umph.” ~Marvin Phillips
Q. What are one or two things you like to do in your spare time?
A. In my spare time, I enjoy doing things with my daughter. We love wakeboarding, snowboarding, traveling, crafting and DIY projects. I love all genres of music and I like comedies and chic-flicks. I love vehicles, as such my driveway looks like a car lot and I love cowboy boots.
Q. Which Houston restaurant would you recommend if a first-time visitor to Texas asked you? Why that restaurant?
A. I am not from the Houston area, but on my visits there, I have come to thoroughly enjoy eating at Pappadeaux’s and Rudy’s BBQ. I can honestly say I have not had a bad meal in Houston.
Q. What is the one thing in life that you are most proud of?
A. The thing I am most proud of is my daughter. I feel beyond fortunate to know I have raised such an amazing girl on my own. She is full of life, intelligence, talent, beauty, humor, and compassion. She has so much drive. She must since she wants to be a pediatric oncologist. It is hard to fully grasp that she is graduating from high school this month and leaving for college in August. I cannot wait to see how far she goes in life.
Q. Is there anything else we should know about you?
A. I try to continually improve on self-happiness and ways to make a difference for people that need help. I like to challenge myself to learn and try new things. Growing intellectually, emotionally and spiritually is always a good thing. When people look back at my life I want to be able to be remembered as never giving up, always trying to help people by paying it forward, working hard, being passionate and enjoying life to the fullest!
