Employee Spotlight: Donna Chilson
We are bringing out a new spotlight feature to our blog rotation this year! While we love featuring our wonderful homes, homeowners, and design elements, we are putting a face to our fantastic team of brilliant employees that keep Magnolia Homes moving and grooving efficiently each and every day! Each month, we will feature one of our dedicated employees from our main office, builders, or sales team! We hope you enjoy learning about each and everyone of them and the vital role they play within our company! First up: Donna Chilson!
Role: Finance Officer/Controller
Length of time at Magnolia Homes: 13 years – starting my 14th year on March 1, 2023!
Favorite Part About your day-to-day: Spending time with a bunch of great people…especially what I call my “Whippersnappers!” NOT the true definition of Whippersnapper which is: a young and inexperienced person considered to be presumptuous or overconfident. I don’t think of them in that way at all. These girls are young (younger than me), they are experienced, kind, confident – not overly, happy always smiling, laughing and fun. They help to keep me young!
Favorite Lunch Spot: I love when we all go together…especially Firebirds, Carrabba’s or Skybox but more often it’s El Porton!
Go-to Coffee Order: I prefer my own coffee which is Community Breakfast Blend with 2 T of Caramel Nut Pods, 2 scoops of Vital Protein Collagen Creamer and two packets of Splenda Stevia, whipped up with my frother and a nice layer of Redi Whip on top!!!
Hobbies Outside of Work: I love spending time with my kids and grandkids as often as possible. I do some knitting while listening to audio books or watching Netflix and Prime Video…I enjoy the sappy “Hallmark Movies” and Emily in Paris, but my favorites are action/suspense/military shows like The Terminal List, The Gray Man, Jack Ryan and the old Jack Ryans like Air Force One, Sum of All Fears and Hunt for Red October!
A Silly or Sweet Work Memory: There have been so many fun times with the company, but my favorite times are the special company trips we’ve taken to Mexico, Jamaica, and the Dominican Republic. Relaxing and enjoying each other’s company, while getting to know spouses and making memories. I just found a picture from our time in Cancun when we went left the resort and ate at a great restaurant in town! Scott (my husband) and I both had Sombreros on looking very silly, laughing, and drinking Margaritas! I love the silliness and the laughing and the stories!
If you were stranded on a deserted island and you were able to choose one coworker to be stranded with, who would you choose and why? Wow! This is a hard one as there are several great people to choose from. However, I would need someone who could hunt, fish, and help cook. Someone with a sense of humor but also sensible, reliable, and comfortable in their own skin. Tough, strong, kind, and willing to do what needs to be done…no matter what. A person who would stay calm, wouldn’t complain, or freak out. I choose Matthew Barefoot!
We sure do love our Donna! She truly makes our world go round! We are so grateful for her dedication!!
