Our Teammate of the Quarter award gives the opportunity for teammates to nominate one of their peers for standing out and embodying our company values. A committee chooses one teammate who really went above and beyond during a certain quarter, and the award is presented in a company-wide meeting, recognizing the winner among their peers and leaders. These awards are an important part of our engagement here at Next Level, as they bring our mission to life while recognizing and celebrating the right behaviors and outstanding work.

Kicking off 2018 with the First Quarter win, we celebrate and thank, Kolleen Whitley. Kolleen has been with Next Level for over three years now working in our award-winning travel department as a crucial part of the team and the company. She works effortlessly to plan and execute extraordinary travel programs for our top clients, and particularly shined during the first few months of this year, when she went above and beyond during an unexpected turn of events.

In an interview with Kolleen, she describes the important role she has played at Next Level and what her experiences mean to her:

Q: How would you describe your position at Next Level?

As a Travel Experience Producer, I’m tasked with planning and executing memorable travel experiences for a varied portfolio of clients here at Next Level Performance.

Q: How has your role changed throughout your time here?

My role has remained the same since I came to Next Level in 2015. Formerly an internal incentive planner for a Fortune 1,000 company in the financial arena, I came to here to immerse myself in the incentive industry and benefit from shared best practices and strategies, while delivering best-in-class incentive travel programs. I’ve learned a lot in my three years with the company and look forward to continued education and growth.

Q: What is your favorite part about your job?

I love shaping experiences from concept to creation. Seeing an idea come to life is so gratifying, and watching guests have a visceral reaction to something that you crafted for them—watching them enjoy it on an individual and shared level — it’s a rush unlike anything else.

Q: You won Teammate of the Quarter for Q1 of 2018. What were some highlights of your performance this past quarter?

This quarter has been a whirlwind! No travel season is without its challenges. These past few months have kept me particularly busy as I assisted a colleague with a multi-wave, multi-city program that was brought to us 30 days prior (we love a challenge!). Unrelated and shortly thereafter, one of my assigned programs needed to change destinations just a few weeks prior to the trip dates. This required a great deal of creativity, resourcefulness, and agility. I couldn’t possibly have pulled it off without the continuous support of the Travel, MarCom, and IT teams here at Next Level, as well as the dedicated strategic partnership of our local suppliers in both destinations. It takes a village!

We are very happy to have Kolleen as a part of our team and are proud to celebrate her and her contributions, not only this quarter, but every day. Congratulations, Kolleen!