Employee Spotlight – Nichole Wheeler
In this month’s employee spotlight, we celebrate Nichole Wheeler, our CFO/VP, whose leadership is pivotal in our company’s forward growth and success. Nichole’s insights reveal a leader who values the heart of our company just as much as its financial health, blending strategic excellence with a genuine commitment to people and culture.
What do you enjoy most about your current role and what aspects do you find most challenging?
I think it’s more about the company than the role. It’s the people, the people and the culture. If you talk about Cisco-Eagle, it’s just the neatest culture to be a part of. Then you add the ownership culture that the ESOP supports, and you can’t beat it. But the people really are what make the organization what it is. And so it’s working with the people throughout the organization that I enjoy most.
As far as the challenging pieces. We’re growing. We’re growing very fast and we have been for several years now. So there are a lot of challenges on how to create scalable processes and make sure that we’re in a position where we can support that growth
How do you prioritize your tasks and manage your time effectively?
Right now, it’s a little bit of “crisis of the moment”. With our current growth, there are a lot of daily must-do items that are getting the highest attention. But eventually, prioritization is simply to focus on what’s going to add the most value to the organization.
How do you stay updated with industry trends and developments relevant to your role?
That’s an interesting one. I was with the organization 18 years ago, and back then, I thought that I knew what we did. But I’m learning a lot right now about the industry itself. As far as keeping myself current as it relates to what I need for the CFO role in particular, education to maintain my CPA and CMA certifications and a lot of conferences. I try to choose training that is relevant to what I’m doing now.
What advice would you give someone who wants a career in finance?
I think there are a lot of directions you can take when it comes to finance and accounting. If someone wants a career in accounting, don’t think you have to go into public accounting, recognize that there are far more people out there in the industrial side than there are in public accounting, and the value of working within that is you get to see and touch a lot more. I spent less than 2 years in public accounting before I made the switch to industry.
There’s a lot out there to be had when working in industry and you can learn a lot and touch a lot of things, especially in a mid-market company like we are. In larger companies, your role is going to be doing one thing every day. But if you want to grow, a mid-market company lets you experience several areas.
You’re a big KU fan, can you tell me your favorite or most memorable Jayhawks sporting moment?
My gosh, just one. It goes back to when I was quite young, the 1988 NCAA title we won against Oklahoma with Danny Manning and the Miracles. We were an underdog that year and I just remember my dad going crazy.
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Evan Fleishacker