2008 10 Under 40 Awards

Melissa Weaver

Senior manager of customer satisfaction, client care, and property and
casualty claims
Safelite AutoGlass | Columbus, Ohio

Age: 39
One-word description of self: Quirky
One-word description of the auto glass industry: Quirky
Favorite Web site: Snopes.com
Lesson learned the hard way: Get it in writing, no matter what, and make sure to keep a copy. Or, be careful what you volunteer for, because you will be expected to compete in the White Castle eating contest every year.

Melissa Weaver's road to the auto glass industry was simple.

"I needed a job," says Weaver, 39, senior manager of customer satisfaction, client care and P&C claims at Safelite AutoGlass in Columbus, Ohio. "I was working at a video production place, and that business wasn't doing too well." She got a tip that the local auto glass shop was hiring. That was 17 years ago in April.

Today, "Melissa operates and maintains customer service for one of the largest auto glass replacement companies in the country," says James Bell, Safelite division trainer and technician manager. "It's a big responsibility. There's probably nobody better in this job than her."

Weaver was instrumental in coordinating the recent recall of certain DOT 430 curved tempered replacement glass parts manufactured by Hangzhou Safety Glass of China. (See related article Page 8.) During an installation process, the glass reportedly did not break into small pieces as expected of tempered glass, failing to conform to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 205, according to information from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Washington, D.C.

"Melissa had to contact customers, schedule them and help them through that phase," Bell says. "I can't think of too many people who are as dedicated to their job as she is. She bleeds Safelite blue."

Weaver says her biggest accomplishment is surviving three mergers and acquisitions. After the Vistar/Safelite acquisition in 1997, the company closed down the Chicago call center and moved to Columbus.

"We had to start from scratch," Weaver says. "We had a brand-new team. We wanted to replicate the success we had in Chicago. We trained new people. It was challenging. It took awhile to get up to speed, and I'm extremely proud of what we've been able to accomplish."

Tom Feeney, executive vice president and chief client officer for Safelite, describes Weaver as "passionate, committed and customer-centric. She lives the clichŽ: the customer is always right."

The diversity of the job and the people she sees each day make coming to work a pleasure, Weaver says. "It's not that repetitious. And I have great people to work with. My job is to be in support of them, but they give it back twofold."

When not helping customers, Weaver takes it easy around the house with her family and dog. "I'm a frustrated gardener," she admits. "Or, I'll just be hanging out at home and watching bad movies."