Meet Sandra O’Dell

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Sandra O’Dell. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Sandra, looking forward to learning from your journey. You’ve got an amazing story and before we dive into that, let’s start with an important building block. Where do you get your work ethic from?

I am a retiree of The Boeing Company where I was employed for 37 years. I held the position of Executive Administrative Assistant (secretary for short). I came into this position at a very young age and spent many, many years, watching the big boys bargain, plan and play.
In addition, I come from a “family owned” business that was established when I was 7 years old and as I grew, I helped doing minor tasks for that business and was also involved in watching the growth of the business (what tactics were used to expand the service we were providing, how to maintain a constant, positive contact database, etc., etc.)
When I was given the responsibility of managing the organization I now manage, there was a learning curve because the new adventure was a not-for-profit, and there are differences in how both entities operate. But the underlying responsibilities were very similar it just took time to figure out which items were best effective for the growth of the not-for-profit organization. But throughout my career in the “business” world and the “not-for-profit” world, being honest and forthcoming were the two traits that provided the best results.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

One of the best explanations of what we do is: “we deal in trash, but it can’t look like trash”. That has been my mantra from the very beginning. When people visit our store, the one comment I hear the most is: “this place is SO ORGANIZED”. You bet!!!

But the part I LOVE the most is to watch all the children enter our store and watch those little eyes “light up” when they see all the things that give them the opportunity to be creative. Many times, when Mom and Dad say, “you don’t need that”, I always remind them that they have to “let them have it because it is sparking their imagination and they are the future thinkers of the world”.

Not to long ago, we had a little 4 year old come in with her grandparents. We had a big bucket sitting on the floor that was full of styrofoam pieces – all different sizes and shapes. Before you knew it, she had all of those pieces on the floor and was just building away!!! I looked at Grandpa and said, “I know what you’re getting ready to buy”. We both laughed because she was just SO INTENSE. She stood there and made sure he put them in the grocery bag, weighed them and when they walked out, she was in front of Grandpa holding Mom’s hand and she kept turning around to make sure he that that BAG in his hands. It made my day!!! I told Grandpa that he has an architect growing right under his nose!!!

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

The three qualities that I think are the most important, are “honesty”, “friendliness” and “encouragement”.

I’ve never believed in “selling goods” just for the benefit of making a profit. If I’m asked a question of how would I utilize a certain item they find on the floor, my response is: “that is for you to decide! You may see all kinds of things to use that “coffee can” for and all I see is a “COFFEE CAN”. I’m not the creator in the group and I would never take advantage of anyone by giving them the impression that I am! That’s the reason we have an “Idea Zone” in our store – to give anyone who has a question as to how something is used or created, I just send them back to the “Idea Zone” which is full of things that our customers have made from the items we provide – they want to share their experiences, and I fully support that. That’s not my expertise, so I don’t pretend that it is.

The next is “friendliness”. I think that you have to be able to “chit-chat” with any and all people who walk through your front door. After a while, you know which ones want to chat and which ones want to be just left alone to do their own thing. Bit I think it is important to know your customers names, and if they share their history, be respectful and care about the things that are bothering them,, etc., etc.

And the third is “encouragement” because the world I live in is where “little minds” start to expand at, as they tell me, ALL THE POSSIBILITIES I CAN DO WITH THIS AND THIS AND THIS!!! I love to ask them to explain to me what they are thinking of making – what are you going to do with it – what are you going to prove with it, etc., etc. And then PRAISING all those ideas!

Is there a particular challenge you are currently facing?

At the moment, there are two!
The first is finding an investor who will purchase a building for the organization where I will know that this organization and this mission will continue going forward for a very long time. And the reason for this is because I am getting up there is years and I want to be comfortable knowing that this organization has a “HOME BASE” and won’t have to continue to constantly look for a place to LIVE!!!

And the second challenge is because I would like to have some say in who takes the reins from me. Or maybe, a number of people will share the experience of taking this organization forward. This is a daunting task when you first begin, but as you go along, it gets easier and easier and you become more and more comfortable working with our customer base. I don’t think it takes any major skill-set, it just takes patience, resilience and eventually LOVE for what you are doing!

Overcoming the challenge! We just keep trucking and know that our needs will be taken care of when the right time comes. There are so many people who LOVE what this organization does, that I’m confident that when necessary, many of them will take up the reins and keep it moving forward.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.leftoversetc.com
• Facebook: Leftovers, Etc.

Image Credits

All pictures are of our resource center – Leftovers, etc.