We're excited to welcome two new employees to our team.
Take a few minutes and learn a little about these talented folks.
Neil Grunstein
Director, Customer Experience
What got you interested in your line of work?
I’m passionate about design challenges where business, advanced technology and people intersect. I quickly understand complex problems and develop strategies and tactics to solve them head-on, but more importantly lead and inspire teams to deliver simplistic, intuitive and optimal experiences for the user. UX in my opinion is synonymous with human centric psychology all centered around meeting the needs by defining the users goal, and their interaction with the product. By applying UX industry’s best practices in turn, will drive a measurable positive outcome.
What is your guilty pleasure?
Watching romantic movies with my wife and gossip with reality TV shows.
What can you tell us about your family unit?
My wife and I enjoy the time with our newborn daughter. Our family wall script “Family, where life begins and love never ends” we have in our living room, resonates with my family, its conveys a powerful message that when building a family the true essence is a life long journey embraced with undivided love, and like life itself we should never take it for granted everything is from GOD. We enjoy the beautiful gift of spending time with our newborn daughter its magical and priceless. A quote from the scriptures which I deeply resonate with is “HE WHO IS HAPPY – IS HAPPY WITH HIS LOT”.
Can you share a fun fact about you and/or your hobbies?
Creative, evangelist, driven easy to work with a keen eye for detail, on my free time I compose and write songs & enjoy nature trails with my family.
What has it been like to be on-boarded during work-from-home isolation?
It's always a challenge especially during these unprecedented times, but every challenge presents opportunities. I’m enjoying meeting and working with various teams, supporting efforts and ensuring cohesive iron-clad relationships throughout the organization. I feel honored and would like to take this opportunity to thank United Methodist Communications for giving me the opportunity.
Betty Raines
Accounts Payable Senior Specialist
What got you interested in your line of work and this position?
I think my love for Accounting is natural since I have always loved numbers and math. My first full time job was in banking and I have just progressed from there. I feel very blessed to have a position which incorporates that in a faith-based organization, since my faith is a very deep and integral part of who I am, and I am very active in my church.
What is your guilty pleasure?
My guilty pleasure would have to be my love of cooking – I enjoy watching various cooking competition shows and then trying to recreate some of those dishes at home for my family.
What can you tell us about your family unit?
I have a German Shepherd dog named Max who is just over a year old. We plan to get certified to do volunteer search and rescue once the COVID shutdowns are over, so that we can participate in our area when needed. I have two daughters (Ashley Byrd & Holly Raines), two grandchildren (Amelie Byrd and Aiden Byrd), one son-in-law (Ricky Byrd) and one soon-to-be son-in-law (Ricky Motes).
Can you share a fun fact about you and/or your hobbies?
My youngest daughter is living with me until she gets married on November 22 and I am in the process of making her wedding dress. No – I am not a seamstress – this is a once in a lifetime project! I also enjoy playing the piano, reading, hiking and doing anything with my grandkids.
What has it been like to be on-boarded during work-from-home isolation?
Probably the hardest part about starting a new job during Covid is not having the opportunity to meet with my teammates in person. We do have weekly zoom calls and they are always fun, but nothing really makes up for that personal interaction. I think everyone will be happy when we are able to go back to having at least some occasional in person interactions.