Meet Erika, our Accounting and Operations Manager at Chameleon Technologies! With nearly a year under her belt, Erika has seamlessly integrated into our team, bringing a wealth of expertise and enthusiasm to her role. Since joining Chameleon Tech, she’s played a pivotal role in optimizing our financial processes and fostering a culture of collaboration.

Curious to learn more about Erika’s journey with Chameleon and her vibrant life outside of work? Keep reading below to discover her insights into streamlining financial processes, building strong relationships, and her exciting adventures beyond the office!

What initially attracted you to join Chameleon Technologies, and how has your experience been since joining almost a year ago?

During the recruiting process, I had a long and deep discussion about Chameleon Technologies and the camaraderie shared by the employes, the vision of the company, and the work that I would be taking over. The atmosphere and the work sounded like a fine leather glove that would fit my hand perfectly. After that initial conversation I knew that Chameleon Technologies was exactly the type of company I wanted to work for. The team is fantastic, and I am extremely honored to be a part of the team servicing our clients to the best of our abilities.

In your role as Accounting and Operations Manager, what strategies have you employed to streamline financial processes and optimize operational efficiency, adapting to changes in the industry or within the company?

Some of the very first steps I took when I came on board was to begin utilizing SharePoint in the Teams environment. As with most positions there is so many irons in the fire at one time that to stay organized and on top of tasks it is important to have a list or a reminder system of all the items that might need to be completed daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, or even yearly. I brought MS Planner onboard for our Accounting Team to track and utilize during our weekly check-ins to keep everyone updated on the progress of tasks. This has proved to be a valuable resource and continues to keep us on track and moving forward.

How do you approach building positive relationships with colleagues and clients alike, and how does collaboration with both internal and external teams contribute to your role in accounting and operations management?

As we all work remotely it can be a challenge to build relationships with colleagues. I appreciate Chameleon’s view on this, and the opportunities provided to bring us together at team events or on team meetings. We currently utilize Slack as our communication tool so all of us are just a few clicks away from each other. On Monday’s and Friday’s, we typically will share a post to the group inquiring about fun weekend plans, challenges someone faced and overcame, and shoutouts to another team member who may have gone above and beyond, cute pictures of family, friends, or hobbies we might have. It is a great way to keep us connected and continue to help us learn about each other. Overall, my goal is to provide information timely to both internal and external teams to allow them to proceed to reach their targets.

Looking ahead, what excites you about the future of Chameleon Technologies in terms of accounting and operations, and what goals do you have for the team in the coming year?

I am most looking forward to completing a full accounting cycle at Chameleon to see how the changes I have made to processes have helped streamline activities, completing the migration to SharePoint for archived files, implementing the Accounting Software conversion to an online service and reviewing other programs to make sure they are operating at full capacity or putting a plan together to move to something that may serve Chameleon better.

What hobbies or activities do you enjoy outside of work, and how do you find they contribute to your work-life balance and overall well-being?

As they say it takes a village. My BFF and her family have fully welcomed my husband and I into their lives. I am affectionally known as Mom 2.0 to an amazing 14-year-old and 11-year-old. I am fully ensconced in the world of School Band, Track, Cross Country, and anything else these two bring home with a moment’s notice. We live 4 miles apart and I affectionately call their home my “other house.” When I am not on kid duty, I have recently had the opportunity to become involved with Horses again. I was a volunteer trail guide in High School and now many years later I am right back at it again and volunteer twice a month to work at the barn taking care of the barn chores and guiding guests on trail rides. My husband and I recently bought a new house, so we are continuing to make it our home with projects scattered about and occasionally we find time to jump on our Motorcycles to explore our new hometown and surrounding areas. We have two dogs that are spoiled and loved, and I don’t think they realized that Mommy bought this house specifically for them as it has a ¾ acre fenced backyard they adore. Recently we rescued two barn kitties and are getting a third tomorrow. They are feral and will live in our shop and help keep the rodent population in check.