Danielle St. Pierre - Operations and Business Development

Favorite quote: There is no try, only do ~Yoda

Essentially I am a huge fan of efficiency. When I see areas of our business that are operating in such a way that is slowing us down, or keeping our personnel from spending time doing their actual jobs, I am compelled to jump in and problem solve, which usually results in a total overhaul of one of our operational systems.

Sometimes for small businesses, the resources to research, design and implement efficient, modern and streamlined systems just aren’t there but I am here, and it has become my mission to ensure that NGA is optimizing the most modern technology to ensure we remain competitive and adaptable in this fast paced environment.

So far since I have come on board with NGA a year ago, I have updated our accounting, invoicing, time and attendance systems, payroll and payment processing systems from extinct dinosaurs to streamlined, web based systems. I have rebranded and recreated our web presence using social media and a new website.

I have helped with collections, run payroll, updated HR filing systems, edited reports and developed marketing campaigns. I am currently researching options for moving away from an equipment based server and moving our entire business storage into the age of “the cloud”. I guess you could say, if it has nothing to do with Geology and Engineering, I am probably involved in some way-I wear many hats.

For 15 years I worked in Corporate America for a Fortune 500 Pharmaceutical company where, after working in marketing I transitioned into a sales manager position responsible for a team of 10-15 employees across the Pacific Northwest and Alaska. Among my leadership team, I was involved in numerous task forces assigned to investigating weaknesses in both targeted marketing campaigns and operational inefficiencies. It is through this experience that I was exposed to the possibilities of using technology to streamline operations and the importance of removing roadblocks for your employees so they can remain focused on the duties that ultimately impact a company’s profits.

I have enjoyed the fact that I have been given the autonomy and the trust to implement solutions that will increase productivity for our engineers and geologists while reducing tertiary administrative costs and distractions. Not only has my experience at NGA given me the opportunity to do what I love best, problem solve, it has provided with the opportunity to work part-time, as well as implement web based technology which allows me to work from home, a huge benefit to a working mom.

I am a mother of 4 beautiful children that keep me extremely busy; alone they could be a full time job, alas, that is not the case. I also co-own and operate a winery with my husband where I do everything but make the wine! We live on a 26 acre property that is also home to our little hobby farm where we have a struggling vegetable garden, 3 goats, 24 chickens and the occasional flock of lambs all guarded and managed by my two loyal farm dogs Flash & Luke.

In my free time I train for endurance runs, enjoy the company of goats, dogs and chickens, read historical fiction and try to keep up with the vines and tik-toks that my teens are constantly referencing in conversation. My husband and I occasionally sneak off/hide on some corner of our property to enjoy a glass of wine or two sans kids. We sprinkle in hikes, camping and road trips throughout the year and without fail, manage one international excursion with the whole family every year.

My parents were baby boomers, raised by German and French immigrants, children of the Great Depression and the Great War. Hard work and very little empathy for the complaints of a hard day’s work has certainly trickled down to me. I rarely sit down throughout my entire day and if I have an hour free up somehow, I tend to fill it immediately with some additional responsibility, a short coming I am fully aware of, and not so successfully remediating. So, I guess you could say that working hard is one of my core values, although, sometimes I wish it were not so. I also hope that I reflect the values of respect for diversity and inclusion in everything I do, because it is what I hope for above everything on a grand scale.

Contact Danielle at (425) 523-8602, or via email below: