2022 Reflections
Brian & Christina Hammrich | CEO & President/Owner
This year was quite a year for the Hammrich Family! Brian turned 60 this year, and his mom turned 80. Our daughter moved from California to Tennessee and our son from one place in Leesburg to another. Our granddaughters, as par for their age, were an absolute blast to be around. We were extras for the series The Chosen and we were reunited with a group of Deaf kids, now adults, as we attended the celebration of the life of one of our “adopted” daughters, in California.
We continue to be blessed in our efforts with HIS Sign, not only by success but more importantly by the people. A group of them drove to our home and participated in a surprise 60th BD party. It was a great day and even those that could not attend in person participated in one way or another!
Along with growth, there were some trials, but even through those, we have been blessed. We are very excited to see what will happen in the new year and have some plans that will be executed in 2023 that have been worked on for quite some time! Here’s to change!
Ilene Breneman | HR Manager
We had 2 BIG wins for my family in 2022. My daughter, son-in-law, and granddaughter moved closer to us and my son got engaged to the love of his life! My husband and I celebrated 33 years of marriage and I am grateful we are healthy. I am very proud to be part of our amazing HIS Sign team for 11 years and especially proud of what our team has accomplished together!
My goal for 2023 is to take better care of myself!
Matt Peev | Account Executive
It was nice to really be able to travel again. We were able to do a lot with our extended family this year that was not possible since 2019, and for that I am very grateful. I am very proud of our kids just growing and experiencing more. They learned new sports, took greater responsibility in school, and in general became closer together.
We did lose a close family member this year, and as always that is very tough. I generally try to live my life with no regrets, so I use that as an opportunity to learn from it and do better in the future. I had big, ok modest, goals of reading more this past year… unfortunately that was not accomplished. I am not one that typically sets yearly goals. Instead, I have tried to live with the motto of giving more back than you take. I feel that is how we move forward as a society. As for plans for next year, would love to continue to travel more and live a bit more minimally at home.
Zachary Hogue | Business Development Coordinator
I never really thought I would be where I am today. This time last year, I was lost and confused. I just moved away from my college city after being there for so long and I began anew, creating a different path for myself. In 2022, I pushed myself to work as hard as I could to continue to help provide for my family while also trying to find a way to help the people around me through my hobbies and lifestyle. After traveling thousands of miles, I have finally landed at my final destination and started my career here at HIS Sign. I am so grateful for the opportunity to grow and interact with everyone involved here at HIS Sign and to learn even more about the people and the world around me. My goals for the future are to continue to learn and develop my skills through the guidance of those around me, and I want to continue to provide for the love of my life and our two lovely pups!
Chris Stein | Senior Technical Support Specialist
I am grateful for my job here at HIS Sign. This December, I hit a milestone of 6 years employed and was promoted to Senior IT Specialist, which is a huge accomplishment in my IT career. Another thing I am proud of is finally completing the Microsoft Certification, which I have been putting on pause for years, and I am happy to now say that I am Microsoft Certified. I regret not going to the gym as much as I should, as the only exercise I had all year was chasing after my 2-year-old toddler. I am going to make more time for myself this year and focus on my health. My biggest goal for 2023 is for me and my wife to travel a bit more and spend more time with friends and family.
Kegan Moore | Technical Support Specialist
Being new to HIS Sign, I am happy that I was able to accomplish quite a bit with our technical processes such as our audit tools and automation. As with many things in the technology field, things are constantly changing, and my projects here at HIS Sign are no exception. Over the next year, I am looking forward to expanding my knowledge with certifications that will enhance my ability to assist the team more fully and support the services we provide.
Amber Haynes | Scheduling Manager
This year was a big year for not only my family but for me. I was promoted to Scheduling Manager and was faced with daily challenges that I was able to overcome! While I was settling into my new role, my husband James was offered a promotion and a new position as well. It was a chaotic time in our household, but we are thriving, happy, and completely blessed. I am also so incredibly proud of my daughter, who was accepted into the advanced math program at her school!
I regret not having more time for my family and for myself. It is hard to get wrapped up in the day-to-day and I did not take a lot of time this year to slow down and spend quality time with my family like I wanted to. That will change in 2023!
A professional goal that I have is to grow the Scheduling Team and have a great group of employees who LOVE their job and collaborate with the entire HIS Sign Team. A personal goal for 2023 is to take more time to enjoy my family. To create lasting memories, take a vacation or two, and focus on my health.
Monica Lee | Assistant Scheduling Manager
2022 was a big year for the Lee Family. Our oldest child graduated from college and our youngest graduated from high school. Also, my husband and I reached a milestone wedding anniversary of 25 years! We celebrated by taking the family on a cruise to the Bahamas. I feel blessed to have had these special moments all in one year. But not all of 2022 was bright and cheery. We had our moments of sadness, of upsetting and overwhelming emotions, but through Faith, we fought through. In 2 Samuel 22:2, He said, “The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer.” I kept this verse close to my heart! As we prepare to embrace the New Year, I hope for 2023 to be a year of taking care of my health and discovering who I am. My goals are to eat regular meals, exercise, take naps, be outdoors more, and take ballroom dancing lessons with my husband!
I wish you all a very Happy and Prosperous New Year!
Danielle Flanagan | Scheduling Specialist
I am very grateful for my extended family and proud that we have remained so close over the years. I am beyond grateful for all the things that our family has accomplished in 2022. My husband and oldest daughter won 2nd place in their categories in the Taekwondo International World Cup. My Stepson started High School and is doing amazing. My 12-year-old daughter has tried out for the basketball team for her first year and made the team. My 5-year-old daughter started Kindergarten and my 4-year-old is just becoming the sweetest little girl. Lastly, I started this wonderful job, which has been so good. It has been a very blessed year for our family, and we continue to only grow and become better together.
Lisa Smith | Registration Specialist
I have many things to be grateful for this year. I joined the HIS Sign team in April and I cannot say enough about the people I get to work with on a daily basis. To find such a wonderful job after being a stay-at-home Mom for many years is a true blessing. I am also grateful for my wonderful family. My husband Craig and I feel so lucky to have two amazing boys, or should I say young men now. This year we have spent a lot of time on the road for college and club soccer. We have been lucky enough to watch our boys play in San Diego, North Carolina, Rhode Island, New York, Massachusetts, Florida, and pretty much every other state up and down the East Coast. It is a joy to watch them do something they love and we are beyond proud! As the holidays approach, we are really looking forward to all of our family traditions. In the New Year, I would love to do some more traveling, watch more soccer, and hopefully be better about carving out time for myself.
Melanie Blue | Project Specialist
While life is by no means perfect, I had a really good year. We were able to resume activities that were put on hold due to the pandemic. I am proud that I successfully achieved many of the goals I set for myself. I spent more quality time with friends and family and focused on self-care. I enjoyed singing and piano lessons throughout the year and had a fabulous vacation in the Dominican Republic with my husband and our close friends. Then to close out the year, we celebrated our 17th wedding anniversary in December. I don’t really have any regrets, however looking forward, I would like to expand my self-care and make it a goal to move my body with exercise every day.
Professionally, I took the class required to qualify to take the Project Management Professional (PMP) exam. Now I need to really focus and study each day so that I can take and pass the exam by the spring!