With everything going on in the world right now, let’s focus on what is most important – people. AFP has an amazing team of hardworking, professional, and passionate employees. This month’s employee spotlight is featuring Jackie Paulson.
Jackie is from Canby, MN, and started college at SMSU in Marshall. Instead of completing, she went on a journey and ended up moving to Las Vegas and working as a sportsbook administrator for 3 years. Jackie moved back to Minnesota in 2010 initially to help with some family health care. When she met her husband, Brady, she decided to stay.
In 2012 Jackie started taking classes through Minnesota West. She received her associates in business management and liked the accounting classes so much that she added second associates in accounting. After completing her associate’s programs, she decided to continue her education at a much slower pace. Jackie will complete her BA in Accounting through Bemidji State University.
Jackie and Brady got married in 2014 and are huge pet people! They have two cats and two dogs—George, Lily, Daisy the lab, and Bud, the Boston terrier. Jackie’s hobbies include cooking, reading, being crafty, and listening to podcasts and audiobooks. Jackie also has an extensive collection of glasses and wears a different pair every day!
Jackie is a huge fan of Harry Potter! Her Hogwarts house is Ravenclaw. For those who don’t know, Ravenclaw is one of the four houses at Hogwarts. Ravenclaws are known for their wisdom, individuality, and wit, as well as their outstanding intelligence. Ravenclaws are quirky and possess all kinds of intellectual interests. Jackie fits perfectly in the Ravenclaw house! If Jackie went to Hogwarts, she would bring her dog, Bud, as her familiar. If she could play a position in Quidditch, she would pick beater or keeper (even though she said she’s more comfortable as a fan in the stands). Her favorite subject at Hogwarts would be transfiguration, and her Patronus is a bloodhound!
Brady is a volunteer firefighter, so they are involved with many local fire department events. Jackie has been a member of the city council and other local organizations in Canby. She is also a volunteer at the Canby Theater, which is community-owned!
Jackie has worked in many different fields of work, with much of her experience being at the management level in small, local businesses. With Jackie’s education, she started to move more into the financial sector. In 2014, Jackie started working at AFP.
When asked what Jackie likes about AFP, she said: “When I started working at AFP, I really didn’t have any clue what was involved in equipment financing. I got the position and was put into the very fast-paced life of a credit analyst. Luckily I have amazing coworkers who helped me learn everything I needed to know. I love working at AFP because it’s my family. I’ve never worked somewhere that felt so much like home to me. I enjoy working directly with small (and large) business owners and helping make their businesses grow. My background in accounting and business management helps me look at an equipment purchase from a different point of view than others.”
