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Great Places to Work: SCHEELS

Andrea Daily, Chace Daily and their family

When Andrea Daily decided to join her sister on a trip to the Bahamas, a trip her sister earned by hitting her sales goals at SCHEELS, Andrea had no idea that this trip would launch her on a path toward her career and a family.

However, a couple of things happened on the trip that led her in that very direction:

No. 1 She found herself surrounded by SCHEELS associates who spoke glowingly about their experiences at the company and how they were treated.

No. 2 She met the love of her life, Chace Daily, who was working as a shop manager in Reno, NV, at the time, and who is now in his 18th year with the company serving at the SCHEELS Corporate Office as a buyer.

“We just hit it off,” Andrea said. “We met in March 2010 and were engaged the following October. It’s kind of crazy, but we just knew. We did the long-distance thing for a while, living in different places, and knew that we were going to do this and make it work. Once we got married, I joined Chace in Reno.”

After arriving in Reno, Andrea began working as a sign language interpreter for the local school district and working part-time at SCHEELS on the weekends in the shoe department. Eventually, the couple began having children, and Andrea decided to go full-time with the company.

“With their great benefits, and with us moving so often because of Chace’s position at SCHEELS, it was a no-brainer for me to stay with SCHEELS, and it has been so amazing,” Andrea said.

Over the course of her 10-year career at SCHEELS, Andrea has worked as a specialty shop manager at the Salt Lake City, Utah, location, as an E-commerce merchandiser in Fargo, and is currently serving as an advertising project manager in Marketing.

“I love the family atmosphere SCHEELS offers and enjoy all of my fellow associates and lifelong friends,” Andrea said. “[SCHEELS] supports families so well, and your coworkers really become like your family. We’ve gotten to know so many people within the SCHEELS community. The culture is amazing. That is so important, to love what you do and the people you do it with.”

Thanks to SCHEELS, and a fun trip to the Bahamas back in 2010, Chace and Andrea are happily married, living in Fargo with their three beautiful children, Pearl (8), Benton (6) and Scarlett (5), and enjoying their careers and work family at the SCHEELS Corporate Office.

“I feel very lucky for my family to be part of a company like SCHEELS,” Andrea said. “In our corporate office, many people have kids, so they love it when you bring your kids in. It’s just so welcoming.”

SCHEELS isn’t just a job for those that walk through their doors donning the traditional gray polo, black pants and SCHEELS name tag, it’s a career with advancement opportunities, an employee ownership structure and a supportive, family atmosphere.

With all of that, it’s no wonder these SCHEELS associates have stayed with the company so long.

A Passion on Full Display

Hannah Leichtenberg

Growing up, Hannah Leichtenberg always loved shopping. However, when she shopped, even as a young child, she was more interested in the setup of the store, than she was in the actual items she was shopping for.

“I’ve always been intrigued by window displays,” Leichtenberg said. “When I went to New York City, I’d just stand there and watch them set up the window displays, and I always thought how cool it would be to do something like that.”

Now, she does. Leichtenberg, in her 16th year with the company, has a very unique job as the Display Lead, a position in which she has the opportunity to bring each shop to life, managing store signage and mannequin clusters. She does this not just in the Fargo-Moorhead area, but also assists at all of the new SCHEELS stores opening across the country.

“What’s really special about SCHEELS is that when you go to the other locations, it almost feels like you’re still at your home location,” Leichtenberg said. “Everyone is so welcoming, friendly and helpful. It’s very cool to go to a big store, like our store in Texas, and see that they’re very similar to our small store in Moorhead.”

Every day, Leichtenberg gets to live out her childhood fascination by “dressing-up” the store, piecing together store signage, mannequins and other display elements.

“My son, when he was younger, said to me, ‘Mom, you don’t even work, you go play with barbies every day,’” Leichtenberg said. “Which is true, kind of. I also do work for our store events and social media pages.”

And while the work is a perfect fit for Leichtenberg, her favorite part of the job is truly the people.

“I really enjoy coming to work. It’s like a little family. It sounds silly, but it’s the truth,” Leichtenberg said. “We have similar interests, beliefs and goals. I remember, while working at SCHEELS Home & Hardware on 13th Ave., a couple of fellow associates announced they were retiring, and I started crying. You work with these people for so long that you end up knowing everything about them. And I love when I get to travel because I get to meet other display associates. Some of them have become some of my best friends.”


About Moorhead Scheels

SCHEELS has been in Moorhead, Minnesota, since opening its first Fargo-Moorhead location in 1927. The current location in Moorhead is the smallest SCHEELS location. However, after removing its hunting and fishing shops in a 2006 remodel, the location now has an expansive retail selection.

Scheels
505 Center Ave
Moorhead, MN 56560

218-233-2751


Passion Down to the Roots

Luke Fuglie

Today, SCHEELS is known across the nation as a sporting goods and entertainment retailer. However, it may surprise some to learn that this local giant got its start as a small hardware and general merchandise store.

As an Assistant Store Leader at the only SCHEELS Home & Hardware store in the nation, Luke Fuglie, plays a big part in maintaining the company’s roots.

However, like many associates, Fuglie did not originally view the opportunity with SCHEELS as a life-long career.

“When I started working for SCHEELS full-time, I was going to school fulltime at North Dakota State University (NDSU) for Business Administration and planning to pursue a career in business after graduation,” Fuglie said. “So, that’s what I thought I was going to do. Things were a little crazy at times, but I was able to graduate from NDSU in 2005. After graduating, I did some internships and realized that sitting at a desk all day wasn’t for me. I loved the people I worked with at SCHEELS and felt like I could utilize my degree here, and began working toward a leadership position. I’ve been with the company ever since.”

Throughout his 20 years with SCHEELS, Fuglie has worked in several shops across the store, including the service shop, lawn and garden, electrical, passion down to the roots barbecue and patio equipment, and as a cashier.

“I’ve built a lot of relationships here,” Fuglie said. “When I lost my father about seven years ago, one of the things that really helped me get through it was the people I work with. I had a mentor who became a father figure to me. He kind of took me under his wing. SCHEELS truly is a family. An associate of mine, who started as a part-time cashier, invited me to be an officiant at her wedding. That’s pretty cool.”

‘That is what has kept me here – the people.”

SCHEELS Home & Hardware
3202 13th Ave S
Fargo, ND 58103

701-232-8903

Supporting Service

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Seth Jordan

Serving in the military is one of the most selfless things a citizen of the United States can do. SCHEELS knows this, and that’s why they have supported Fishing Expert Seth Jordan and many like him.

Seth enlisted in the United States Navy Reserve in 2007. In 2010, the longtime hunting and fishing enthusiast started working at SCHEELS part-time at the Visa booth. Eventually, Seth worked his way up into a full-time position as the shop manager of something a little more his style, fishing.

He is now in his 13th year with SCHEELS, and his 16th with the United States Navy Reserve as Chief Hospital Corpsman, and was recently deployed for the first time, going overseas from November 2021 through August 2022.

“SCHEELS was really there for me,” Seth said. “Their appreciation and dedication to the military is unmatched. They made the transitions from pre-deployment, to deployment, to post-deployment, as smooth as possible. They checked in on me while I was deployed, and when I returned, helped me transition right back into my position. SCHEELS also ensured all of my benefits remained while I was gone.”

That check-in during the deployment even included a care package.

“They sent me a bunch of candy, some Supporting Service Dot’s Pretzels and things like that,” Seth said. “It was really sweet and unexpected.”

Seth has experienced that amazing culture in other aspects of his involvement with SCHEELS as well. In fact, it’s that amazing culture that got him to go full-time with the company in the first place.

“I started here to earn some extra income,” Seth said. “Plus, I like to fish and hunt, and I heard the discounts were pretty good. However, the atmosphere and culture here made me want to go full-time. The culture we have in retail almost makes it feel like you’ve made it to the top of the profession for retailers all over the country.”

“That’s one great thing about this place, there are a lot of like-minded people here,” Seth said. “Everybody else that works in the fishing and hunting section likes to hunt and fish. So, you kind of form these natural friendships and relationships with people that are like-minded and like to do the same things. I have some of my best hunting and fishing memories with the people that I’ve worked with at SCHEELS.”


Seth Jordan’s Favorite Thing About Work

“I would have to go with the universities. There are not many employers that would pay you to go somewhere and go fishing for an entire week and use all the latest and greatest products. When you do that, you get to meet people from all over the company, from all over the country.”

SCHEELS hosts 28 universities and 9 graduate schools for select associates each year through their university system, where they encounter hands-on experience with the products they sell in their specific shop and gain the tools to make your next shopping experience the best yet.


SCHEELS
1551 45th St S
Fargo, ND 58103

701-298-2918

Written by Brady Drake

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