Originally from Racine Wisconsin Jeanne Szymczak Timber has been living in Taos for over 20 years now from North Carolina. She came here as a result of her husband because he owned many restaurants in Taos. After visiting, Jeanne decided to quit the corporate world and come live here because she fell in love with the place right away. However, things would not slow down for Jeanne. She is the owner of The UPS Store in Taos and also works there full-time.
Her Journey Through College and Career
Jeanne studied chemistry and economics at the University of Wisconsin. While in college at the University of Wisconsin, Jeanne worked at Johnson Wax, where she worked in research and development. Her background was in chemistry and product development, developing products like shaving cream and shampoos. Driven by interest, Jeanne decided that she wanted to progress into the business's product management and marketing side. Later, she was accepted at the University of Pennsylvania, at the Wharton School of Business. After graduating, Jeanne got into marketing and sales for a number of companies.
Jeanne's Experience on Working in Different Parts of the World
After graduating from Wharton, Jeanne went on to work for a number of different companies like Amway, Nucraft, and Haworth in Western Michigan. She would then go on to work throughout Europe as the director of sales and marketing. From there, she was recruited by a Norway company, Hag, and worked at the North Carolina office as President, but traveled back and forth to all the Scandinavian countries. For Jeanne, the experience featured a fair share of ups and downs. This is because she had to balance taking care of businesses while traveling overseas quite often.
Settling into Taos
So, when she finally decided to leave the corporate world and come to live in Taos, Jeanne was looking for a viable business. That's when she stumbled upon a UPS store that wasn't doing so well. She bought the franchise, developed it, and has been the owner for 17 years now.However, the case is now different because the store she owns is only a few miles from where she lives. Before getting into this business, Jeanne researched it to understand what the customers wanted and how it would benefit the community of Taos. Once ready, she started her work and now loves the dynamic and connection that her business brings to the community.
Her Business During the Pandemic
Because she owns a UPS store, Jeanne's business was labeled as an essential business. Her business was the first few to implement mandatory masking and social distancing before the whole pandemic blew up. At first, she faced multiple push backs, but the community soon thanked her for ensuring that they were safe whenever they visited her store.
What She Plans to Do with Her Knowledge
Traveling worldwide, meeting different characters, and managing multiple companies have taught Jeanne quite a lot. As part of her plans, she hopes to write a book about the different experiences and personalities she's met. This way, she will be able to share her diverse backgrounds with a majority of people in the community and the world as well.
Jeanne's Other Projects
Jeanne is also involved in The Couse Foundation, where she spends a good portion of her spare time and she is on the board of directors and is also the treasurer. This is something that is important to her. The foundation is building a research center that will bring artists, students, and the community together to learn constructive things like the society of artist and Taos's art history. Generally, this organization will focus more on helping the community and adding value.
Jeanne's Message to the Community
Jeanne's central message of encouragement during this pandemic is to not let our guards down. This is because we are in this together, and it's only us who can prevent the further spread of the virus by ensuring we follow all the protocols laid down. Her main personal goal is to stay healthy for the rest of the year. This way, she'll manage her business, staff and help out in the community.
