How Three Sisters Have Turned Maple Ridge Farms Into a Family Affair
Sisters Jodie Schillinger, Joelle Stahlecker and Jamie Johnson have all built careers at Maple Ridge Farms (asi/68680) – inspired by their mother, Virginia Lemmer, who started her own career there nearly 40 years ago.
Jodie Schillinger still remembers her days as a customer service representative, back when she first started at Maple Ridge Farms (asi/68680) – sitting back-to-back in the office with her mom, Virginia Lemmer, taking sales call after sales call.
Lemmer was one of the food gifts supplier’s first employees more than 40 years ago. It was the beginning of a family tradition, you might say. These days, Maple Ridge’s much bigger team includes Lemmer’s three daughters: Joelle Stahlecker (marketing coordinator), Jamie Johnson (national account executive) and Schillinger (executive vice president), who made her debut on Counselor’s Power 50 list of promo’s most influential people last fall.
The story of how Lemmer entered the promo industry – and how her daughters built their careers from her inspiration – is a good one. On this week’s episode of Promo Insiders, Schillinger, Stahlecker and Johnson share about their mother’s impact on Maple Ridge Farms, their own journeys in working at the company and what it’s like to build a career alongside your siblings.
Spoiler alert: Yes, they do often get mistaken for each other at trade shows – and they actually love the chance to surprise people with their varied personalities.
“This is why the brand of Maple Ridge Farms has deep roots,” said Johnson. “Making that connection is meaningful for me – and along with that does often come a lot of fun.”
Key Takeaways
• Family Influence & Legacy: Jodie, Jamie and Joelle’s involvement in Maple Ridge Farms (asi/68680) is deeply rooted in their mother Virginia’s pioneering role in the company. After a divorce, she moved her family to a new city, pursued further education and joined the team at Maple Ridge. Her role evolved; she became a key face of the company alongside the founder.
• Work Ethic & Professional Growth: All three sisters had different journeys to their current roles, including all of them leaving the company at one point or another after starting work there at a young age. Since arriving back at Maple Ridge, they have each developed a strong passion for the promo industry, especially the creativity and relationship-building opportunities it provides.
• A Work Family: Building and nurturing relationships within the team and with customers is important to all three of them, especially when it comes to making sure they all prove themselves apart from their mother’s legacy and ensure there isn’t any familial favoritism. But overall, the family-like atmosphere at Maple Ridge Farms enhances their ability to work effectively together.
• Mistaken Identities & Surprises: People often mistake the sisters for each other when any of them are traveling together, which leads to amusing and surprising interactions. They enjoy these moments as opportunities to reveal their individual personalities and strengths, adding a unique dynamic to their professional relationships.