When you walk into our Newark, NJ office, the first person you are greeted by is Claudette Hope, more fondly known by all in the office as Ms. Peaches. Her smile and her personality are infectious. It doesn’t take long to figure out that Ms. Peaches is more than just a teammate to our associates there; she is like the head of the Newark site family.

In her current role as an office administrator, Ms. Peaches manages all the essential functions that make the Newark site tick – from processing refund checks for NJ EZ-Pass customers, to screening new candidates and I9 verifications to the multitude of other administrative and planning tasks. This month she celebrates an incredible 47 years with us!

Her secret to a long successful career she says is a simple one – but often hard to put into practice. “You have to learn to work well with others and get along with everyone.” Assume positive intent and where there are different ways of working or different perspectives, she says most often it is just about working it out together. “Over the years, I have worked with many different personalities – some more likeable than others. You have to find ways to make it work and always stay focused on doing the best you can with your job.”

With two grown children and now five grandchildren, Ms. Peaches says she was fortunate enough to have family support with raising her children while she was working. She has raised her children with a keen sense of service to others – an attribute she still considers the most important in life.

Her words of wisdom to those starting out on their career journey “Always be yourself. Work hard and play hard. The rest will fall into place.”

Ms. Peaches has no intent of retiring anytime soon! She loves her team she says and “I don’t think I am ever going to leave them!”