Randi Cairns is one of Powerhouse’s writers extraordinaire. She pretty much handles it all, from content creation, to technical writing, to grant writing. If one of our clients needs a writer of any kind, Randi is one we go to first! Currently, she turns her talents to clients like Operation: Job Ready Veterans (grant writing), MILLIE/Agent Intel (blog and e-newsletter writing), and Powerhouse (content/resource creation, and blogs/newsletter article writing). So, as you can see, we’re not exaggerating when we say she can write anything.

Randi has been with Powerhouse for three years. She loves that we’re all about our team and that our team is family. She is inspired by the incredibly talented people she gets to call co-workers, and she considers Jessica Bertsch to be “one of the most genuine and caring business owner you could ever hope to know and work for/with.” Yep, we concur 100%. Is it any wonder that in five years Randi sees “total world domination in the best possible way for Powerhouse”? Randi hopes she gets to be along for the ride, and we sincerely hope she is because she’ll be one of the reasons for that domination.

Randi’s professional heart belongs to helping businesses succeed, especially nonprofits or those that have a mission to help others. Personally, she describes herself as “the offspring of a fierce, protective mama bear and a tree-hugging do-gooder.” For her it’s all about advocacy for those in need and all-encompassing love. As she says, “Nobody gets to mess with my village, and my village grows daily.” (May we just interject that we love writing pieces about writers? They have the BEST one-liners!)

Referencing that mama bear side of her, Randi is mom to four of the most awesome military “brats” (we’d humbly like to offer that that term should be “mini-heroes”) of all time who are now 25, 23, 15, and 14 years old. They are the best part of her day, each and every day, even if just seeing those ages in writing causes a gray hair to appear. In addition to being an exceptional mother and a national advocate for military families for over two decades, Randi spends what little free time she has with her children, binging on Netflix/Hulu, reading, cooking, or writing for fun. She also likes “piña coladas and getting caught in the rain” (maybe this is a Powerhouse thing?), though she doesn’t have time for most of these activities right now. She’s too busy advocating for those who can’t speak for themselves and raising productive members of the next fierce generation.

We asked Randi for some tidbits nobody knows about her, and she provided us with two absolute gems that truly sum up who she is. First, while her husband was deployed, Randi spent two hours cutting a cast off her leg with a steak knife so she could drive her kids places and get to work. She succeeded, but admits that the surgery she had to have to repair the damage she caused may not have been as empowering as the act that made it necessary. Two, she delivered her third child by herself in the bathroom of an Olive Garden about 30 minutes after she saw her OB, who told Randi that she was crazy for thinking she was in labor. The only things she regrets? That her son doesn’t get free Olive Garden for life and that there’s no commemorative plaque in that bathroom stall. Yep, this is why we love her.

So, as Randi says, “If you want the world’s best team of highly skilled and amazingly competent professionals to create magic for your business or nonprofit, led by a business owner with a heart of gold and a commitment to providing the best possible service, and you’re not already putting Powerhouse Planning to work for you, you should ask yourself why not and change that immediately.” If you do, it’s entirely likely that Randi will put her immense talents to work for you, and we’re pretty sure her village will grow just that much bigger. After all, who doesn’t want a mama bear/tree-hugging do-gooder on their side?

At Powerhouse, we are incredibly proud of the amazingly talented people who work here. This year, we’re rolling out a new blog series where we will be sharing some of these powerhouses with you. You’ll get the chance to know a little bit about the fantastic team members who have helped “power” us through to some truly outstanding successes over the last few years. Before we get too carried away with the puns, let us introduce you to Jennifer Kirkpatrick.

Jennifer is Powerhouse’s multi-talented Executive Assistant. Besides keeping all of us in line and on time, Jen has the truly monumental task of keeping up with our president and founder, Jessica Bertsch. If anyone can do that, it’s Jen! Over the past three years that Jen has been with Powerhouse, Jess and Jen have developed one of the warmest and closest professional bonds. So much so that they can practically finish each other’s sentences, especially when brainstorming new, innovative ways for Powerhouse to help our clients. Having Jen as Executive Assistant is really like having a vice president, assistant, creative director, and mom rolled into one, and Powerhouse definitely wouldn’t be the same without her. It’s kind of amazing that this one talented person is a true embodiment of what Powerhouse offers: a team of incredible talent for the price of one employee. Although, if you ask Jen she’s just “blessed to be a member of this dynamic and incredibly talented and inspirational team.” Is there any doubt as to why we hope, along with her, that she never leaves or retires?

As with most of us, one of Jen’s favorite things about Powerhouse is the ability she has to grow into the full potential God has intended for her while still being able to balance family time. Her other favorite thing is getting to work with one of the most talented and inspirational leaders (Jessica) who “is guided by a moral compass unmatched by any other person.” Add in her enjoyment and pride in the work she does and the challenges she’s presented, and is it any wonder she hopes she’s part of the growth and evolution of Powerhouse for a long time to come? She’s already contributed to some of our most successful years yet, so we can’t wait to see how she’ll inspire our future success.

When she’s not devoting her skills and time to Powerhouse, you can find Jen selflessly volunteering in her community or spending time with her retired Coast Guard husband, Mitch, and their two children Michelle, 13, and Joshua, 11. Courtesy of Michelle, who plays violin, they’re treated to some pretty great music while Joshua satisfies their sports-fan hearts by graciously allowing them to cheer him on at his swim meets. Both promise to be wonderfully well-rounded, conscientious people just like their mom.

Jen also loves reading, walking on the Florida beaches, geeking out over space launches, hiking, the art of cooking, and “piña coladas and getting caught in the rain.” Mostly though, she loves to make a positive difference to those around her, which is why she served as the Ombudsman for the USCGC Confidence for two and a half years before her husband’s retirement. She was the recipient of the 2017 Wanda Allen-Yearout Ombudsman of the Year Award, which should tell you exactly how dedicated she is to helping others. You’ll always find a ready ear and a desire to help from the minute you meet her. She lives her life by the Ralph Waldo Emerson quote, “To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded,” and it shows.

We asked Jen to let us in on something that people might not know about her. After she finished laughing (she’s an open book, after all), she told us that her superpower is thinking in song. Seriously. Maybe it’s because she used to sing karaoke three nights a week and maybe it’s because that’s just the kind of creative, uber-talented powerhouse she is. Whatever the reason, should you happen to meet her, ask her what song she’s thinking in at that moment. And then share it with us. Who knows, maybe we’ll even be able to persuade her to sing it for us.