Congratulations to IGA’s October 2019 Employee of the Month!

Name: Allen Tipps
IGA: Stodola’s IGA, Luxemburg, Wisconsin

In the late 1990s, Stodola’s IGA was in the process of expanding and moving into a new space and needed to take on some extra employees. That’s how they ended up hiring Allen Tipps, in spring 1999. A young man with developmental disabilities, Tipps was referred to them through a social services agency. Now 20 years later, Tipps is over 40 years old and has become an invaluable part of operations. We talked to Stodola’s IGA Owner Alex Stodola to find out why he nominated Allen.

Q: Describe Allen and what he’s like.

He earned the nickname “Shredder” from his previous job shredding papers at a local bank, and I think he really likes how it also applies to his approach to bagging.

In all seriousness, Allen embodies the commitment to service that Stodola's IGA strives to provide. Allen is our top carryout, bagging orders with energetic speed, yet always taking care to do it right. He often delivers cartloads of groceries to our regular customer's vehicles before they even get out the doors. And I’m not exaggerating, either.

Customers love to see him when they come in, as he always has a big smile for everyone. He’s well-known around town and everyone loves him. People in the community look after him and make sure he’s doing alright. You can often see him on his hot pink bicycle, which he rides to work every day and other trips around town.

Q: What makes him such a stand-out employee?

There are a number of things that really stand out about him:

1. His positive attitude. Every day he overcomes his disability to focus on his work and provide top-notch customer service.
2. He’s considerate. He holds an umbrella over customers in the rain when he carries out.
3. Goes above and beyond. Allen lives in an assisted living place with some older folks. When one of his elderly neighbors buys a case of water or some other heavy stuff, they’ll leave it outside and he brings it in for them when he gets home from work.
4. Best bagger. Like I mentioned earlier, he bags fast enough and knows customers well enough that he often has their car loaded before they finish paying.
5. A team player. He often pitches in throughout the store between orders.
6. His strong work ethic. Allen rarely takes days off. In fact, every summer I have to talk to his mom and get her to tell him to take time off. His parents moved about two hours away to the [Wisconsin] Dells, and so he’ll go and spend a week with them.

Q: Why did you nominate him?

When the call for nominations went out, I instantly thought, ‘Who better than Allen?’ He’s just improved so much over time, people love him, and he’s a hard worker. He’s always consistently great.  

When we told him he was the October Employee of the Month for all of IGA, Allen was beaming with pride and said he couldn't wait to tell his mom. 

Have an Employee Deserving of Employee of the Month? 

We want to hear about it! Fill out this simple form and your employee will be in the running for November Employee of the Month—with a chance to win a $100 cash prize!