I owned four of my own restaurants before I was even 25 years old. I went on to work for Wendy’s in Oklahoma opening their new stores and training personnel. I’ve also worked as an office manager for a cable company. All these jobs prepared me for my job at Rhodes where I wear many hats because time management and multi-tasking is a must in the convenience store industry.
Hi, I’m Ann Wiley, General Manager of the Fruitland Rhodes. I’ve been with PAJCO (the company that owns Rhodes, Imo’s Pizza restaurants and Rally’s Drive-Ins) for 15 years. I started as the Food Service Manager at the Dexter Rhodes and later became its Operations Manager. I was later promoted to the General Manager of the Malden Rhodes. By 2014, I transferred to the Fruitland location to be closer to my first granddaughter. I’ve been here ever since and love my store.
Before I joined Rhodes, I thought the people working in its stores had to be nice and friendly because it was part of their job. Come to find out, the whole company is this way from the owners of the company all the way to its store team members in all locations. Everyone has an open mind and is very supportive. You’re allowed to make mistakes at Rhodes and grow from them.
My career path at Rhodes started with me being a regular guest at the Dexter location. Its manager eventually asked me if I would be interested in its Food Service Manager position. Jeff Maurer conducted my final interview and asked that I visit several locations and talk to some team members before I decided to join the Rhodes family. I took his suggestion and visited four Cape locations and the Sikeston Rhodes on my way home. I spoke with several managers and team members during my visits. They all had pretty much the same things to say; Rhodes is a great company to work for because it offers flexible schedules and a family-oriented atmosphere. They also said that Rhodes wants you to succeed and will help you obtain all your goals.
At Rhodes, every day presents new challenges. It’s never boring, but it’s the people who I get to do it with that I enjoy most about my job. I love the people I work with and the friendships we develop with guests. We are a family unit that truly cares about one another and fully supports each other in and out of work. We all are very competitive and want to be the best that we can, but we also cheer one another on and celebrate our success. The support we have is amazing.
Many of the people who support me at Rhodes don’t even work in my store. For many years, the Fruitland location was in the same district as the Perryville, Ste. Gen and Farmington Rhodes locations. I refer to the General Managers of those stores as my “sisters up north.” These ladies inspire and challenge me to be my best every day. My past and present District Managers have taught me so much. Sarah Shelton is included in that pack. She understands and “gets” me. Sarah is so supportive and has never been afraid to challenge me. I also appreciate that Rhodes gives us opportunities to unite and growth with other team members outside of work. We participate in team building activities to exchange ideas and learn from each other.
My teammates inspire me to do a better job, and my guests make doing my job fun. I have to say my favorite guests are the parents of furry kids. Dogs get so excited when they come through our drive thru. I’d like to think it’s because they love me and my team members, but it’s probably more for our treats. We see so many furry guests, that it’s hard to list them all. Some of them that come to mind are Pooh, Faith, Boone, Bob, Buddy and Optimus.
I do not plan to leave Rhodes any time soon. It’s a growing company with unlimited opportunities. I want to continue learning and growing with the company, be an ambassador for PAJCO and continue developing great people. Someday, I would like to grow into a corporate position of some kind. I invite you to join our growing company. There’s no limit to what you can achieve here. You can grow and work your way up as far as you want. I think you’ll also appreciate our six core values especially “Respect and trust our team and guests.” To me, that core value is the foundation of a great relationship and solid communication. Rhodes trusts and respects its team members and in turn you will do the same for it.
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.