Today's Lead Dog Spotlight showcases Albertville technician Stephen Jenkins. Stephen has been a technician with SUI since 2007 and has been a consistent performer since his arrival. There is no shortage of accolades for the three time Oscar winner. Over the past five years, Stephen has been named a Top 20 Tech of the Quarter eight times and a Tech of the Month winner ten times. One of Stephen's Oscars from 2020 was for his Lead Dog performance in the "On Site Sales" category. His plethora of accomplishments should be enough to inspire any technician, but what he has had to overcome each day may be the most impressive feat of them all.

Stephen was born tone deaf, meaning he had an inability to hear high pitch sound. This never kept Stephen from doing the things that he loved like competing in golf, basketball, and baseball. To this day, Stephen is an avid sports fan and still plays competitive golf, most recently winning the 19th Annual Memorial Cup Men's Team Match Play Championship. Stephen's nickname is "Mamba", in tribute to Kobe Bryant and his killer instinct on the hardwood. He is a true admirer of the work ethic and grit that the great ones vigilantly display under the bright lights of the most competitive environments.

Adversity made an appearance in 2017, when Stephen was playing with his oldest son Chase in the swimming pool. Chase hit him in the head on his left ear and Stephen lost ALL of his hearing. Stephen didn't realize it at the time but that left ear was his strongest ear, and he was now classified as legally deaf. Stephen had 0 percent speech recognition and had to get an implant. Even with the current implant, he doesn't comprehend most speech without reading lips. 

Stephen refused to let this debilitating condition dictate his future. Despite his new circumstance, Stephen challenged himself to be the best version of himself each day. He strives to be the best husband, father, and employee he can be. He is strong in all aspects of the business but he especially excels in OSS solutions for his customers. How is someone incapable of hearing able to offer solutions and perform at a Lead Dog level? Stephen attributes it to his ability to connect with his customers, and his innate professionalism while fulfilling a service appointment. Stephen's customers trust his professional opinion because of how he treats them. 

Offering solutions is a necessary component of our business and Stephen has demonstrated that despite difficult obstacles, anyone is capable of performing at a high level through persistent work ethic, and an intrinsic desire to be the best. Stephen doesn't believe in making excuses. Much like the sports stars he idolized as a kid, Stephen does his best work when the lights are brightest. In turn, this has Stephen consistently making appearances on SUI's brightest stage, the Oscars, year after year.