Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Stephanie Price has worked in offices and oil fields.
Stephanie Price doesn't mind if you call her a "Jill of all trades."
She's held jobs in different fields over the years, from newspaper offices to pipeline construction and more.
Price took time from her day Tuesday to tell The News about her life.
Q: Where did you grow up? What brought you to your home in Portales?
A: I grew up in Paris, Texas.
Love brought me to the area. My husband, Riley, is head baseball coach at Eastern New Mexico University.
Before starting my career at Ashley Furniture as sales manager I was commuting from Portales to Lubbock every day for work.
Q: Tell us about your family.
A: My husband and I have been married for two years.
We have two dogs that are like our kiddos.
Riley is originally from Kansas, so when we travel to see our families we go to Kansas and Texas.
Q: What did you want to be when you grew up?
A: Growing up I was always doing something creative. My parents said they could give me cardboard, scissors and duct tape and I could create anything.
They would joke and call me "MacGyver" (a reference to the 1990s TV show).
In high school I fell in love with writing, photography and digital design.
I was editor of my high school, junior college and university newspapers all while I worked as a part-time reporter and graphic designer during and after college.
Q: Tell us about your career path.
A: After college I continued my career as a reporter at newspapers in Texas and the Bakken oil field in North Dakota.
Then I went into pipeline construction.
It was a total career change.
After seven years of doing nothing but interviewing people, writing stories and doing graphic design I was wearing steel-toe boots, a hard hat and safety gear.
It was a challenge, but it kept me on my toes, especially because I was a young woman working on a jobsite dominated by men.
For another seven years I had a lot of job titles in the pipeline industry.
My last job in the industry was natural gas inspector before I came to work at Ashley.
Q: Tell us about the job you have now.
A: I'm sales manager at the Clovis Ashley store.
Lord knows I can't do just one thing at a time so I have a few "side hustles."
I work on social media for another locally owned business, I've been selling Mary Kay for the past 10 years and my newest hobby, making all things sourdough.
Q: As a sales manager what is your sales philosophy?
A: The terms "working in sales" or "sales manager" can sound icky.
Personally, sales isn't about taking people's money.
It's about building relationships, determining a need or want and helping people find the best item or product for a solution.
I'm passionate about helping people find what works for them.
For me, it's about the customer experience.
When someone buys from you in a sales setting with competitors, they're not just buying a product, they've bought into you.
They have a choice to go anywhere else and if they choose to work with you, you've established a relationship and trust with them.
Q: What's the best sandwich?
A: The Twisted Turkey at Coffee Bistro in Clovis.
Turkey, provolone, tomato, red onion, mayo and spring mix.
The best part is it's on a pretzel bun.
Q: What's your favorite movie?
A: I have two: "The Green Mile" and "Gladiator."
It's all the tears every time I watch.
Q: Do you have a favorite vacation spot or a favorite place to visit?
A: I've traveled to 25 of the 50 states and five countries.
My most recent favorite destination is definitely Eleuthera in the Bahamas. It's absolutely a hidden gem.
Pictures don't even scratch the surface of doing this beautiful island justice.
The people are so welcoming and friendly.
Q: What's your favorite food?
A: Right now I'm obsessed with making all things sourdough: Breads, cookies, pizza, pasta, you name it.
I also love a thick ribeye, barely grilled enough to get those pretty charcoal lines, with some loaded mashed potatoes on the side.
Q: Do you have a favorite saying?
A: "God first, family second, career third."
I live by that.
I truly believe that if all these are aligned and prioritized, a lot of other things in life will surprisingly bless you.
