By Kerry Burtman, CMA

Kerry Burtman

In the “Wizard of Oz,” the man behind the curtain pulls levers to get things done. Here at CMA, we don’t have levers, or curtains for that matter. What we do have is a team of people committed to doing what it takes to get the job done.

When you come visit our Kansas City office, Missy is probably the first person you’ll meet. From her desk in the reception area, she prepares and processes accounts payable and receivable transactions. Her in-basket is continually filled and emptied as paperwork is processed. Although she has plenty to keep her busy, anytime you stop by with a request, she’s always willing to lend a helping hand. She will do what it takes to get the job done.

Down the hall and around the corner from Missy, you’ll find Laura. This year, she provided administrative and planning support for one of our biggest client events. She took this task on in the midst of planning her wedding, too. I can’t decide which of the two events were the most stressful! While preparing invitations and wedding plans in her free time, by day, Laura managed countless event details. She assembled hundreds of attendee folders and name tags, prepared dozens of boxes for shipping and printed and organized thousands event documents, all while coordinating their receipt and logistics with hotel management.

Missy and Laura are just two of the many examples of CMA staff who do what it takes to get the job done. Charlie’s grueling travel schedule (on the road 52 of the last 65 days) means I nearly have to reintroduce myself when he’s in the home office for a few days. Mark has spent weeks at a time traveling to remote farm locations with a film crew to get great footage for our clients. As I type this, I can hear Allyson, with her accent that could only be from North Carolina, saying, “I can do that. When do you need it?” Across the country, our staff in Missouri, Iowa, Ohio, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Kansas and Nebraska all have the same attitude – a commitment to getting the job done.

And while CMA didn’t invent the “do whatever it takes” attitude, it is something that is an important part of who we are. With that, excuse me, won’t you? I’ve got work to do.