Meet Our Team: Jayne Stanard
2023 marks 40 years of service with Crystal Flash for Jayne Stanard, CF’s Operations & Customer Service Manager. In 1983, Jayne was a single mom attending electronics school and trying to make ends meet by working evenings and weekends at the Fairchild Oil-owned Citgo gas station in Ada, Michigan. Fairchild Oil was owned by the Fehsenfeld Family, who also founded Crystal Flash.
In 1986, the President of Fairchild Oil asked Jayne to consider working in the company’s Lowell office. Cautiously intrigued, Jayne recalls, “I informed him that I did not want to be a secretary, and he laughed and told me the job would be nothing like that. I learned quickly that he was right.”
The role of the Customer Service Representative (CSR) at the growing company was much different than it is now. Back then, CSRs not only took care of customers, but also drivers. They also handled billing, payments, accounts payable, payroll, inventory, and other accounting functions.
When CF sold its convenience stores in 2001 to refocus the company on fuel delivery, Jayne became the Operations Administrative Assistant. A few years later, Jayne moved into the IT department where she focused on employee training programs. At times, she was also asked to assist with various technology issues on the IT helpdesk. “My most-used troubleshooting advice was “reboot your machine” or “unplug it, count to ten, and try again”. Fortunately for me, this worked 99% of the time,” she reminisced.
Eventually, another reorganization brought Jayne to her current role as Operations & Customer Service Manager. The idea at the time was to have customer service reps from the entire state under one leader to create consistency and standards of excellence. This strategy clearly worked, as today CF routinely receives high marks from customers for the level of service they receive.
“Crystal Flash has been an amazing company to work for. My family is blessed because of my time here. My husband, Wes, was a fuel driver for 35 years and retired last year. It’s hard to believe that this year will be my 40th anniversary, it feels like yesterday that I was working the cash register at the Ada Citgo,” Jayne added.
Jayne has two adult children and one grandson. She and her grandson recently received their black belts in Taekwondo. In the summer, she and Wes enjoy gathering their family together on weekends to make memories at Half Moon Lake.
Another passion she shares with Wes is giving back to the community by serving and volunteering whenever possible. Community service work isn’t limited only to her personal time, however. Each year, CF supports over 140 community organizations through local event sponsorships, parades, philanthropy, and volunteerism. Many of these volunteer efforts are identified, organized, and accomplished under Jayne’s leadership.
We’d like to thank and congratulate Jayne for her 40 years with Crystal Flash. Connect with her at 616-365-8597 or jaynes@crystalflash.com if you believe that she, or any of the employee-owners of Crystal Flash, could be of service.
Jayne Stanard
