As the office manager for Intermark Group, Cheryl Landreth rarely experiences a dull moment during her workday. She’s been with the company since 1991 and knows all the ins and outs that go on in the company. If you need her, you can probably find her somewhere in the building, helping others tirelessly, with a smiling face and ”can do” attitude.
We all know her, but here she reveals more about herself in this week’s Employee Spotlight Q&A.
Q: What are your responsibilities as office manager?
A: I try to help everybody be successful at whatever they are trying to do. That means I wear many hats and can be found doing everything from coordinating our onboarding program for all new employees to handling our corporate insurance. I’m also the person who’s responsible for booking travel for prospective candidates, handling our building maintenance, serving as the liaison for tenants and overseeing internal programs at the agency. There are a lot of things I do behind the scenes, too, and many of those tasks are done with the help of Mike Smith from our management company.
Q: You’ve been with Intermark for over 20 years. Tell us how the company, and your role within it, have evolved over that time.
A: When I first started, I worked for Mike Strong and Billy Harvill, two of the men in charge of things then. They figured that since I had a degree in business from Samford University I’d be good at all kinds of the various projects that come with that kind of work. I was very good at multitasking, and liked people, so they put me in the human resources side of the company. The job grew and grew into other areas from there.
In an advertising agency, people are always your main assets. I have always understood that and in order to manage people you have to subscribe to that way of thinking.
Q: You were the project manager for Intermark’s move into this office space on 25th Street, and it’s been heralded as one of the best-designed offices in Birmingham in a number of periodicals. That must have been a huge task. Can you tell us what went into it all?
A: Renovating this building to become the home of a modern ad agency was probably the biggest project I’ve ever done for the company. It was such a fun experience and my most proud accomplishment. It’s a very creative use of space, which I believe is a good first sign to all those who enter it. Creativity here is apparent from the get-go.
The feature that seems to get the most press is our Airstream. That was a project unto itself! I found the Airstream through a man on eBay. Since we have a small elevator, you couldn’t bring anything in that way, so our construction company working on the renovation had to build a special dock to get it in the building. They brought the Airstream and all its materials in through the second story. There was simply no other way to get it up here.
And I’m extremely proud that we’re still receiving awards and recognition for the interior design eight years after we first moved in.
Q: What do you enjoy most about your job?
A: In addition to all of the great work we do here as an agency, I truly enjoy getting involved with the community through our Interact team. We do a lot to give to those less fortunate and helping people on the outside is always a very rewarding experience, too.
Q: How do you enjoy spending your weekends and time off?
A: I enjoy traveling and spending time with my wonderful family. My husband and I have been blessed with a son and daughter and four grandchildren. They live in Charleston, South Carolina, and Princeton, New Jersey, so there’s quite a bit of time on the road. Good thing my husband and I like the same music and talk radio hosts!
Q: What is something most people would be surprised to learn about you?
A: Most people would be surprised to learn that I took part in the NASCAR Racing Experience at Talladega Superspeedway two years ago and rode around the track doing 170 mph.
I crossed that one off my bucket list! Yes, I do have one, folks, so stop snickering. Now I want to ride in a hot air balloon. Another thing people would be surprised to learn about me is that I really enjoy dressing up for Halloween. It’s one of my favorite times of the year.
Q: What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given?
A: One of my favorite sayings is, “You’ve got to dance like there’s nobody watching, love like you’ll never be hurt, sing like there’s nobody listening and live like it’s heaven on earth.” William W. Parkey said that. Not to me personally. But it speaks to me.
Another piece of good advice is that it’s important to live every day to the fullest and remember you are here for a purpose bigger than yourself.
