Hi, I’m Shelby Mangels, PAJCO’s Project and Business Development Manager at their corporate office in Cape Girardeau. PAJCO is the company that owns Rhodes, Imo’s Pizza restaurants and Rally’s Drive-Ins. I worked in the hospitality field all through high school. I have always enjoyed catering to customers, and I love working in a field that allows me to work with people. I think that any job that allows you to make people’s day better is amazing! That thought put me on the path to joining PAJCO long before I actually joined the company in December 2020.
I have a master’s in human resources, a bachelor’s in food and beverage management and an associate’s degree in culinary arts. I worked for a dining service company, a global beverage company and a start-up tech company before joining PAJCO. In some of those positions, I worked directly with customers. In my position at PAJCO, my customers are more often the internal team at PAJCO since I help get so many building and development projects off the ground. I have helped open two Rally’s Drive-Ins and remodel two existing Rhodes’s locations while also developing a customer-facing app. All of these projects have required me to coordinate efforts across multiple departments at PAJCO.
Before joining PAJCO, I thought it was a very well-known brand in our area. I associated the company with Rhodes’s convenience stores but found out the company also owned six Imo’s Pizza franchises and several Rally’s Drive-Ins with more on the horizon. That level of growth made me feel like PAJCO was a stable company with more room to grow. My impression of PAJCO becomes more positive every day. The people here all care about each other and genuinely want to do a good job. From the store level, to the corporate office, everyone here is sincere and they want the best for each other and the company. It is also a company that continues to grow and is not afraid to make changes.
My entire employment experience at PAJCO has been great thus far. I like that I get new opportunities and that we are a company focused on growth. The company provides all the support that you need and allows you to incorporate your own ideas. I have enjoyed meeting and working with some amazing people!
In fact, the people here have become my favorite part of working at PAJCO. We have the kind of team that inspires you to do your best. We all care about everyone’s success, and we all are very competitive and want the best for each location. The company allows you to grow and provides you with opportunities that still allow you to balance work and your life. PAJCO cares about the people, and the people care about each other, which is rare.
I started to realize how special everyone here is as soon as I started training. I had the privilege to train and work in our stores just like our Customer Service Representatives do. This experience wasn’t limited to just one Rhodes location. I trained at multiple locations in different markets. One of my first training assignments was at the Rhodes on North Kingshighway in Cape Girardeau with General Manager Marquis Brookins. Marquis was patient with me and took the time to train me personally and offered support throughout the whole process. He kept an amazing attitude no matter how busy he was.
Other General Managers also provided me with support and instruction including Brandy Roberts in Chaffee. She answered all my questions and made me feel like a part of the amazing team she has built at her store. Traci Lowry in Ste. Genevieve has so much love for her employees. She respects everyone and genuinely thinks of each and every person as a member of her family. Daniel Seabaugh at the North Sprigg St. Rhodes in Cape Girardeau is one of the most caring people I have ever met. He takes the time to train each individual and builds his team up using respect and praise. He is sincerely a great person and each person has a lot of respect for him.
Sarah Shelton is the District Manager over several of the stores that trained me. She is always great to work with. Sarah consistently provides her team support, and she is willing to help anyone with anything they need. Sarah is the type of District Manager that puts her people before anything else in business. She is compassionate, and I can tell she honestly cares about everyone in this company.
Like I mentioned before, I get to work across several departments to make projects successful. One of those projects was remodeling the Fruitland Rhodes location. I got to know General Manager Ann Wiley through that process. She was so easy to work with, and she was always extremely accommodating. Ann is very organized and provided a lot of guidance anytime I needed it.
Opening the Poplar Bluff Rally’s Drive-In was another project that allowed me to meet more PAJCO team members and serves as another example of how our team pulls together. Everyone in the company came together and helped make sure things run smoothly. PAJCO is always growing and expanding, and when we do, we all support each other and make time to help and provide support.
I don’t see myself leaving PAJCO anytime soon. This kind of company, with such a fantastic culture, is one that I have always wanted to spend my career at. I see myself staying with the company and hopefully becoming a key player in the growth and expansion plan. If you look around the whole company, you’ll see that it is filled with people who have been here for years. They stay here because they are treated fantastically, and they love what they do.
PAJCO definitely honors its first core value, respect and trust our team and guests. I think that it is rare in this age to find a job that respects and trust the people who are team members there. PAJCO doesn’t even think of people as employees. They have always thought about everyone as one large team working towards a common goal. They care about everyone individually and respect them and their work.
I would tell anyone looking to join a company with an amazing culture to consider joining PAJCO. Many companies that I worked for promised a great work environment, but PAJCO was the first one that really lived up to their goals. PAJCO respects and values every single position in the company.
If constant growth with warmth and respect for people sounds appealing to you, visit www.Rhodes101.com to submit your application. You’ll be able to learn more about what PAJCO has to offer when you visit the website.
Brent Anderson, Vice President of Operations and Business Development, had this to say about Shelby, “Shelby is one of our newest team members and has been an amazing addition to our tight-knit family! Her most valuable assets are her energetic personality and fearless ability to jump feet first into any and every project, which fits perfectly into our people-first culture! What I absolutely love about Shelby is that she doesn’t have bad days. She finds the silver lining in every cloud. I’m very excited for her future at PAJCO!”
Rhodes provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability or genetics. In addition to federal law requirements, Rhodes complies with all applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment in every location in which the company has facilities. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leave of absence, compensation and training. Rhodes expressly prohibits any form of workplace harassment based on race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, genetic information, disability or veteran status. Improper interference and the ability of Rhodes employees to perform their job duties may result in discipline up to and including discharge.