Employees of the Month: August 2021

Name Candi McKinley and Amanda “Mandi” Neal
Practice name Grace Animal Hospital, Bridgeport West Virginia
Occupation Both: Customer Service Representative and Veterinary Assistant
Started in veterinary medicine Candi: 2016; Mandi: 2020
Years at practice Candi: 4½ years; Mandi: 10 months

Why Are They So Awesome?

Candi always comes to work with a smile on her face and a “can-do” attitude. She is willing to do anything to help out a coworker and she has a special way of keeping things light and fun, even on our busiest of days. Mandi is always a joy to work with. She has a very kind and tender heart and shows tremendous compassion for our clients, patients, and our team members.

How Do They Go Above and Beyond?

Candi works very hard to keep the reception area running smoothly in our busy practice. However, her passion is in working with the animals in more of a hands-on capacity, so she began cross-training to be a veterinary assistant. Candi continues to amaze us with how quickly she learns and how dedicated she is to her job. We feel blessed to have her on our team.

Mandi is very effi­cient and does an excellent job keeping appointments on time as a veterinary assistant. However, after working as an assistant she realized that she enjoyed engaging with clients and the job tasks of being a client service representative better. Amanda has quickly transitioned into this new role at our hospital and is doing an exceptional job.

In Their Own Words

Why do you love your job? Candi: I love working in a field that has so much compassion for animals. I find the work challenging, but very rewarding. Mandi: I love my job because I get to help in the process of caring for cats and dogs.

Pets at home: Candi: Dog, Bootsie; Cats, Petey and Shade. Mandi: Dog, Marli Jo.

What brought you to the profession? Candi: I loved visiting the hospital with my animals before I was hired and thought it would be a nice experience to be able to help animals on a daily basis. Mandi: I was drawn to working at Grace Animal Hospital because I felt compassionate about helping animals heal in order to be their happy/normal self again.

Hobbies outside of work: Candi: Hiking and swimming. Mandi: Fishing.

Photo credits: Amanda “Mandi” Neal (left) and Candi McKinley. Photo courtesy of Grace Animal Hospital.