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December 2010 Employee Spotlight

Employee Spotlight for December 2010
Matthew Brosseau - E-commerce Assistant

Just like you, I can clearly remember being 17 years old--of course it wasn't that long ago, only 9 years--and I can remember my attitude about every topic just as vividly.  I, like many youngsters, thought I was invincible, infallible, and all alone in the world; nobody could possibly understand me, nobody had ever went through what I had to, and nobody perceived the world around me quite as well as I did.  Jeez... just about everything your parents tell you when you're that age comes true, doesn't it?  Because as they say, hindsight is 20/20 and you realize most of your angst was--sadly enough-typical.
 
One thing I'm most upset about with regards to my path is that when I was 17 and acted like a total jerk to my employers.  It's not as though I was ever fired nor did speak too far out of turn, but knowing that college was just ahead of me I didn't think any of these petty jobs mattered; I'm not going to be flipping burgers in a few months, so why should I care what you think Mr. or Ms. Supervisor?

The reason I'm explaining this isn't so that you'll think badly of me but rather surprise you with the fact that I was actually an extremely mild mannered young man.  I was more courteous than a lot of my fellows, I was raised to say "yes sir, yes ma'am" to all elders, and I generally felt like an outcast in those rare situations wherein politeness was already dissolving among young people my age.  Though I found myself bound by the 17-year-old archetype as I described above, I was also a very decent young person who tried my hardest to obey any and all authority, perhaps to a fault.

All of this is why this month's employee spotlight should be praised above many others in his age group, because it was he, Matthew Brosseau, a Clarkson University freshmen and 2010 graduate from Bellows Free Academy in St. Albans, Vermont, that made me realize my mistakes as outlined in the above statements.  Never before have I met such a polite, genuine, and most importantly mature young man in all my life, and I am proud to have had him working with me.

Though Matt has left for his second semester at Clarkson to pursue a degree in engineering, a goal that will surely be attained someday as evidenced by his self-proclaimed love for "tearing things apart and reassembling them," he has left his mark on all of the Handy Toyota family to say the very least.  Matthew was hired in December of 2010, meaning this past holiday season before he returned to college marked his first full year with our company.  As a part-time high school student during the first few months of his employment at Handy Toyota and as a full-time employee throughout the summer of 2010, Matthew juggled more tasks than many of the folks at our dealership:  photography for more than 400 ever-changing vehicles, cleaning vehicles before delivery, yard maintenance year round, waxing vehicles in the showroom, and just about any other task he was asked to complete, and they were always done with gusto.  Further, Matt played a critical role in the Handy Automotive display at the 2010 Franklin County Field Days at the Highgate, Vermont Airport, washing each of the dozen or more vehicles daily (if not multiple times a day, depending on the touching habits of passersby), keeping watch of the face painting booth, maintaining snacks for the visitors, as well as helping me film and photograph the Truck Pulls, Tractor Pulls, and Demolition Derby.



Though only born in 1992, Matt is far beyond his years in grace; he is one of the few teenagers you're likely to find that won't ask questions about the task at hand.  In other words, unlike his peers, when he's asked to do something it gets done and there is never a gripe to be heard.  Perhaps this is why Matthew likens himself to the 2011 Toyota Tundra Rock Warrior, stating "...the Rock Warrior is a big vehicle--and I'm generally taller than everyone I meet," he laughs.  "So yeah, it fits me physically, but it's also confident in navigating different, difficult terrains, taking on tasks from which others would run in fear."  Now that I think about it, it's ironic that Matt would choose these specific words because just as I said he does wear so many hats and never stops to think can I do this? but rather tells himself of course I can do this.  It doesn't hurt that the kids intelligence quotient is undoubtedly through the roof, mind you.

In his spare time Matt likes to play paintball and do anything outdoors like hunting, fishing, and camping, as well as playing hockey, something he played throughout his youth and high school days.  Matthew enjoys driving his first car, a 2010 Chevrolet Cobalt that he purchased right here at Handy's while working for us.  "If I could have any car though," Matt told me, "you know, regardless of the cost and the fact that it's no longer being made, I'd take a 2010 Chevrolet Cobalt SS because it's fast; I want my car to make me feel like I'm in a cockpit.  [Due to the fact that] becoming a pilot has always been a dream of mine."

 

On a final note, Matthew did something that surprised his friends at Handy Toyota when he left for Clarkson University in Potsdam, NY late this summer:  he joined the ROTC, a U.S. Army program at colleges across the county that essentially train young men and women to one day be Officers in the Armed Forces should they decide to make a life of Service.  In Matthew's case he is undecided; I can tell you that he loves the Army life, but he isn't sure if he wants to make a career out of it quite yet.  However considering any student has until the end of your sophomore year of college to decide your major (let alone plan out a majority of one's life as in Matt's case) one would assume he's got a bright future, whichever path he chooses.

If you'd like to know more about Matthew, email Chris at cdugan@handycars.com (Matthew is away to school, but Chris will get your questions and/or comments to Matthew through personal means).  Stay tuned for next month's trip into someone else's wacky, funny, and/or intriguing life as we take a trip through yet another employee from the Handy Toyota's mind in the first employee spotlight of the 2011 calendar year!
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