Happy Friday! For this Employee Spotlight edition, we are highlighting Alyssa Neiser. Alyssa is a Data Scrub Technician and has been a part of the SpendMend team for almost two years. When asked why she looks forward to coming to work every day, she stated, “I really enjoy the positive atmosphere and value the camaraderie among the company. I also love SpendMend’s mission, and it makes me happy to help a company make a difference in the healthcare industry and give back to communities.” Alyssa is from Muskegon and started her higher education journey at Muskegon Community College. She then transferred to Grand Valley State University and decided to study Accounting and Finance. She chose this study path because she has always been interested in numbers and has a family support system with similar career paths! A fun fact about Alyssa is that she loves dogs and has a history of fostering and adopting them. She fostered a dog, a 4-year-old Catahoula mix named Seuss, during college. She loved seeing the noticeable difference in Seuss’ happiness after taking him from the shelter. Alyssa states, “It was incredibly rewarding to see how much a dog changes from getting out of the shelter and into a home, especially when you are the main provider and can see the care and love an animal can give so quickly.” Read the full interview below to learn more about Alyssa’s fostering experience. Outside of work, Alyssa enjoys spending her time doing puzzles! She has worked on puzzles since childhood and can easily finish a 1000-piece puzzle in a few hours. She loves how calm the activity is and that the reward is a picture. Alyssa enjoys cross-stitching. It’s a more detail-oriented craft requiring her to pay close attention to the pattern and spacing for a better result. Another hobby that Alyssa likes to do during her free time is reading! She is currently reading the Hunger Games prequel, “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” by Suzanne Collins. She is open to reading any genre but primarily gravitates towards thrillers and non-fiction. She is a big fan of Stephen King and looks forward to reading some of his books, such as, “The Shining,” “Billy Summers,” and “IT.” If you have any good book recommendations, let Alyssa know!
Alyssa does a great job as a Data Scrub Technician. We asked Dirk Lindquist, Shared Services Supervisor, about Alyssa, and he said, “Alyssa has been a great addition to the Scrub Team. Her knowledge as an auditor has been a huge help, and she has made an easy transition into the Shared Services Department. She is always willing to help in whatever area she is needed and does exceptional work. I am happy to have her on our team.” Thank you for all your hard work, Alyssa!
Interview with Alyssa:
What is your role at SpendMend?
Data Scrub Technician
How long have you been with SpendMend?
1 year 10 months
How did you first learn about SpendMend?
Online job posting – Handshake
What three words would you use to describe SpendMend?
Accommodating, encouraging, and advancing
Where are you located/from?
I am from Muskegon originally and moved back in with my parents after college to save some money for a future home.
Where did you go for higher education?
I spent my first two years of college at Muskegon Community College to get a better idea of what I wanted to do for a career and save some money as well. I have always been a numbers person, and have seen several family members have successful careers working in accounting/finance, but I wasn’t sure where I wanted to go with it exactly, so I began by taking introductory business classes. After those two years, I transferred to Grand Valley State University in 2020 to complete a bachelor’s in accounting and lived in downtown Grand Rapids for my final two years of college for a change of scenery and perspective.
What did you study and why?
At Grand Valley, I decided to add finance as a second major as I discovered there were many aspects of finance that appealed to me more than accounting and would give me more options going forward in life.
Why do you look forward to coming to work?
I really enjoy the positive atmosphere and value the camaraderie among the company. I also love SpendMend’s mission, and it makes me happy to help a company make a difference in the healthcare industry and give back to communities.
Before working at SpendMend, what was the most unusual or interesting job you’ve ever had?
Bed Bath & Beyond – Working in customer service with the general public introduced me to many different people and gave me a very interesting, brief glimpse into several different cultures, personalities, and values at a fairly young age.
What is one fun fact about you?
I fostered a dog in my junior year of college and adopted a senior Pitbull mix shortly before graduating college last year.
What intrigued you about fostering a dog, and what kind of dog is it?
I have always loved dogs since I was a young kid and always envisioned myself fostering and/or adopting in my future. I wasn’t quite planning on fostering so soon, but during my final year of college at Grand Valley, I was really missing home, and my childhood dog back home, so my roommate and I decided it would be a good opportunity to try fostering as I had been considering doing so for a while. I sent a list of pictures to my roommate of the available dogs for fostering, and we both agreed on the most unphotogenic dog from the list, which is how we ended up fostering a 100+ pound, 4-year-old Catahoula mix named Seuss for three months.
What was the most rewarding part of fostering a dog?
Having been around shelter dogs my whole life, it was incredibly rewarding to see how much a dog changes from getting out of the shelter and into a home, especially when you are the main provider and can see the care and love an animal can give so quickly. Even though I don’t see apartments as an ideal setting for dogs, it was still so wonderful seeing how much happier he was to be with people all the time and living a life of freedom. I knew I wasn’t at a good point to be adopting, so even though it was sad to say goodbye to him when he was adopted, that was the most rewarding moment because I knew he would be going to a good home for the rest of his life and even though I only played a small part in helping him find his way there, I was still able to provide him with the comfort and care he deserved at that time.
What is your favorite part about having dogs?
My favorite thing about owning a dog is consistently having a best friend around who can bring light to everyday life without saying a single word. With my current dog, Spud, it brings me so much joy each day to see how simply playing catch with a ball makes him the happiest dog in the world. Since he will be turning 11 this year, it always makes me smile to see him playing like a puppy still despite some of the hardships he’s had to face.
What type of music or podcasts do you listen to during the workday?
True crime podcasts or Taylor Swift
Do you have any hobbies or participate in any activities outside of work?
I do a lot of crafts in my free time – painting, cross-stitching, crocheting, quilting/sewing, and doing puzzles – but I also really enjoy reading and being with my friends when not crafting.
When did your interest in crafts start?
I have been crafting ever since I can remember, but I think my love for crafting and passion for learning new things comes from my family. I grew up with my mom, dad, and grandparents, always woodworking and sewing, so I grew up with the idea that if you wanted something, you could probably make it yourself, and they have always encouraged me to follow my passions with art even if it is something new.
What is a crafting project that you are super proud of?
Although it’s not finished yet, I am close to completing a cross-stitch of my childhood dog, who passed away a couple of years ago, which is my favorite crafting project I have done so far. It was my first time creating a cross-stitch of my own, so it has been very rewarding to see it come together over the past few months and recreate one of my family’s favorite pictures of our childhood dog.
What craft is the most difficult for you to do and why?
However, if I’m looking for more of a challenge and brainpower, I gravitate towards cross-stitching as I have to pay close attention to the pattern, spacing, and ensuring the end result looks good, which makes it a bit more difficult than some of my other crafts.
What are your favorite hobbies?
Overall, puzzles are my all-time favorite pastime as I have loved doing jigsaw puzzles since I was a young child and can easily finish a 1000-piece puzzle in a few hours given that it’s not too difficult, so it’s a pretty calming time to piece back together a picture.
Do you sell them or just for fun?
I haven’t sold any of my craft projects as I usually just do it for my own personal enjoyment, but I have crocheted some blankets for hospitals and donated those in the past, which is something I would love to get back into and give back again.
What is your favorite genre to read?
I will read pretty much any genre of book, especially if recommended to me, but I am drawn to thrillers and non-fiction.
What are you currently reading?
I am currently reading the Hunger Games prequel, “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” by Suzanne Collins. I really enjoyed reading this series growing up and rereading it as I got older.
What are some books you have on your TBR (to be read) list?
I am also a big fan of Stephen King and his work. I finished reading “The Green Mile” for the first time a few months ago and am looking forward to reading some more of his books, including “The Shining,” “Billy Summers,” and someday “IT,” which is over 1000 pages and a life-long goal of mine for the near future.
What is the best part of serving the healthcare market?
It gives me a sense of joy to feel like I am making a difference in communities and making a positive impact on our society.
What has been your experience with SpendMend community service events?
I have not really participated in these events yet, but I really admire what SpendMend does for the community, and I would love to and plan to participate more in the future.
Do you want to shout out a co-worker who has helped or inspired you at SpendMend?
I transferred to the data scrub team a couple of months ago from auditing, but while I audited, I really enjoyed working with Amanda Lenkiewicz. She was consistently a positive influence, and I greatly appreciated how she was always willing to help and give advice. I always left conversations with her feeling very encouraged, and I feel she has the ability to inspire others and is always a positive person to be around, especially during work.
What advice do you have for prospective candidates who want to join the SpendMend team?
I would suggest that a prospective candidate keep an open mind to new ideas and change. Between technology and changes in the healthcare industry, nothing ever stays the same for long, so I think it is important to keep an open mind and understand that as outside factors can change, it affects work and how we work on a day-to-day basis.
What has been your proudest accomplishment at SpendMend?
Although I am no longer auditing, I would say I feel most proud of myself forgiving it my best effort and not giving up as an auditor. Many aspects of it came very unnatural to me and were quite uncomfortable, but I think that was something I very much needed at the time. Being my first full-time job out of college, it was difficult for me to jump into auditing full-time, but I am proud I gave it a valiant effort and am still able to work at SpendMend, but in a job position that is much better suited to me and makes me much happier.
What is something you’re looking forward to for your future at SpendMend?
I am looking forward to seeing how SpendMend changes and grows, as there has already been quite a bit of change since I started working here. I’ve greatly appreciated that I have been able to see and experience two different aspects of SpendMend, from auditing and data scrub, and I’m looking forward to seeing what else I can learn while working here.