This month we have the honor of celebrating two decades in temporary housing with the one and only Karen Schuster, our Director of Sales. It’s not every day we get to acknowledge such an awesome milestone! We are so grateful we got to talk to Karen all about her journey in this industry thus far.
Born and raised in Buffalo, NY, Karen is a self-declared “die-hard Bills fan”. She currently lives right outside of Milwaukee, WI making Green Bay her #2 team. Karen is a mother to twins, a boy and a girl, who are just getting ready to turn 13. Together she and the twins have a rescue pup named Blue who she says is the best dog in the entire world. As far as hobbies go, Karen has been in martial arts and dance most of her life. She states, “It’s a strange combination but great for mental health, fun and exercise.”
When asked about what brought her into the temporary housing industry Karen said the following:
“I was working in the restaurant industry as a corporate trainer and decided to get into Sales. I submitted an application on Careerbuilder for a temporary housing company that was advertising for an Account Representative in Southern California. I got the job and the rest is history.”
Karen says what she likes most about her job is her CRS family and the clients she gets to work with every day. She elaborated on that saying:
“No matter how busy we get or how devastating a disaster may be, the managers and employees we have here are collaborative team players. We are high performers and work very well together. I’m very proud of those relationships. Also, I’m not someone who used to love a lot of change. My attitude towards change is very different now which is a result of the growth I’ve had at CRS.”
She then reflected on what has changed in the industry during her twenty years in it:
“Temporary housing was pretty consistent year after year without having huge changes. The last couple of years, things have been different. Technology is expanding at a very rapid pace and CRS continues to grow as a company day by day, month by month, and year by year.”
When asked if she had any words of advice for anyone who might just be entering the industry Karen had this to share:
“Temporary housing is a cumulative industry. In other words, the longer you’re in it, the easier it becomes. Housing isn’t just finding a place for someone to live. It requires a lot of negotiating, steps, listening, caring and being creative. Respect every part of the process from Sales, Operations, IT and Accounting. Listen, more than you speak but don’t be afraid to be bold when you do.”
Karen is always ready for a challenge, making her thrive in the VUCA environment of today. She is a great example of so many of the core values we have at CRS and we are so grateful for her hard work and talents. Karen said something she’s learned from her time in this industry is “Just when you think you’ve seen it all, you haven’t.” We asked her what the next 5 years look like for her and she stated, “To continue to be part of the team that keeps CRS as the most successful temporary housing company in the industry today.”
