June 4, 2019
She is a country girl at heart, and her roots run deep in Clayton County. Melissa Schilling is living her best life on the rural-Colesburg acreage she shares with her husband of 4 years, Mark, and their two children, Mason and Makayla. Melissa is Alpine’s Accounting Clerk with a knack for perfecting processes and a penchant for facing change with positivity.
As a Garber native and Central Community School graduate, Melissa never considered a career in telecommunications. However, she always dreamed of a job in finance and accounting, which lead her to receive her degree from Kirkwood and then her career at Alpine Communications. Since 2006, Melissa has accomplished a lot as part of a 3-member accounting department.
Driven by variety and challenge, Melissa enjoys the diversity that comes with her role at Alpine. “No two days are the same, and our department works well together,” commented Melissa.
A few events stood out in her career and helped shape Melissa into the employee she is today. “One of my greatest accomplishments is when we converted to bringing payroll in-house, and I was able to do payroll myself. That was big,” recalled Melissa. “Our department processes have changed so much in 13 years as a result of automation and system improvements.”
There are a few things most people don’t know about Melissa. She was a successful telemarketer in high school, she’s allergic to horses, and Melissa has a woodworking shop in her garage where she makes furniture and home décor. If she could have any other career, it would be as a medical doctor. Melissa points out that “I like to fix things and make everything better.”
Melissa shared how much she values connections with her co-workers and vendors. “I appreciate my work relationships where we can talk about work and family,” she said. Vendors will find a friendly, personable person when they call Melissa. “When someone calls me with a question, I try joking or talking about the weather to develop more of a personalized experience with them.”
Melissa is known for her quaint office which she decorates with pictures of family and her signature Christmas tree each year. She loves the busy but laid-back environment at Alpine and said, “I’m not one to sit around and do nothing. I’ve got to be doing something all the time.”
When asked what three words that always describe her, Melissa said, “quiet, good-hearted, and hard-working.” Three words that never describe Melissa are mean, messy, and follower.
What makes Melissa laugh? “Makayla! It’s fun to watch her change, and the things she does gets to my heart. I love being a mom,” described the self-proclaimed homebody.
Melissa’s hometown friendliness, attention to detail, and team-centered qualities are what make her a valuable member of the Alpine team.
In the Loop:
- Melissa is a maker and shares that creating, crafting, scrapbooking, and building are her stress-relievers.
- In five years, she sees herself at Alpine, “I’m good here.”
- Building their new home was the most stressful thing Melissa has ever done.
