Getting to know Rhonda and Christina!
We’ve added some new people to our team in the last year, and now seems like a good time to get to know them a little better. Rhonda Hazel and Christina Dunn both started at AM Transport in October 2021. Rhonda is the office manager, and Christina is a customer service representative. They both have a great sense of humor and killer smiles and they’re a lot of fun in the office!
Has your job changed much since you started at AMT?
Rhonda: Not too much. My duties have included learning billing, organizing events, and general office duties.
Christina: I started as a Customer Service Rep, and that’s what I’m still doing, but I did a lot of carrier tracking when I started to get a better understanding of what we do here. Now I focus on the customers. One thing I do now that I would have never expected is having daily communication with customers. I get to build relationships with some people I’ve never seen in person.
Do you have a funny story of something that’s happened at work?
Rhonda: At a previous job, when I left work one night, I got into the wrong car and didn’t notice until I started it. In my defense, it was the same color as mine and parked next to mine. Another incident that comes to mind is watching co-workers jump around the office in trash bags. Unfortunately, they got caught.
Christina: I can’t think of anything in particular. However, my team cracks me up daily. I think everyone here has such a great sense of humor. It really makes the work week pleasant.
Tell us a little bit about your family.
Rhonda: I am the oldest of my siblings–one brother and one sister. We grew up in the country and were fortunate enough to live just down the road from my grandparents.
Christina: I was raised in a small family of four–myself, my brother, and my parents. So large families were always intimidating to me until I married into one. My husband is the oldest of six kids and has a very large extended family. They are all truly great, and I’ve realized the more the merrier.
Are you a morning or evening person?
Rhonda: I like getting up early, but not before the sun, and enjoy a cup of coffee and hang with my dogs.
Christina: I am 100% a night owl. I definitely stay up later than I should every night. This inevitably leads to multiple cups of coffee at day break. It’s a vicious cycle, really.
What is your favorite AMT after-hours activity?
Rhonda: So far, I can’t say I have a favorite because I’ve enjoyed them all. On my first day, I was welcomed with an after-hours get-together. Unfortunately, I missed the Halloween party, but the Christmas party rocked with good food and entertainment. Our arcade night was a family fun event enjoyed by all, and our most recent activity was a hockey game in Evansville. It was a blast. AMT doesn’t disappoint!
Christina: I haven’t been able to partake in many activities, but I’m excited for the warmer weather in hopes I can spend more time in our beer garden!
What’s your favorite season?
Rhonda: Christmas. I love the spirit that people carry with them along with all the goodies we eat that we usually don’t.
Christina: Fall. I love sweatshirt weather, pumpkin pie, and Halloween.
What’s your favorite food?
Rhonda: I have two-pizza and medium rare steak.
Christina: That’s tough. I’m a sucker for pasta. But 9 times out of 10, if you ask me where I want to eat, I’ll say a Mexican restaurant. It’s just too good.
Tea or coffee?
Rhonda: Both. Coffee with a flavored creamer and unsweet tea.
Christina: COFFEE. ALL DAY.
Favorite childhood memory?
Rhonda: My grandma Mitchell’s house. All I needed to say was that I was bored, and she would find something for me to do. It was like going on an adventure. It was the best living right down the road from my grandparents. Spoiling was the name of the game.
Christina: The first time I went on a rollercoaster that goes upside down. I was with my dad and best friend on vacation and hearing them screaming and laughing was the best sound in the world.
What’s the best book or show you’ve watched in the last 12 months?
Rhonda: I loved watching 1883 and Yellowstone. They are the best shows we’ve watched in a while. I’m reading a James Patterson book, E.R. Nurses. I definitely recommend it.
Christina: I just finished the first season of the series, YellowJackets on Showtime. It’s a very weird, very suspenseful dramedy.
What’s your favorite dish to take to a potluck?
Rhonda: Homemade meatballs. It’s a lengthy recipe, but I’d be happy to share with anyone who wants it.
Christina: I love to make cheesy taco soup for any gathering. Or spicy taco dip. The dip is really easy to make, so it’s perfect if you need to make it in a hurry. The ingredients are 1 lb. ground hot sausage. I can Rotel tomatoes, and 1/2 block Velveeta cheese. You melt it together in a crockpot, and it’s ready for tortilla chips.
Dogs or cats?
Rhonda: I have two dogs; Luna Mae and Lola. Luna is a Husky, Australian Shepherd mix, 2 years old, and full of energy. Lola is a mixed breed rescue, 13 years old.
Christina: I’ve always been a dog person. I love them. I do understand cat people though. Cats are so much easier to care for since they bathe themselves, go in a litter box, and just lay around most days.
It looks like summer is finally on the horizon. What’s your favorite summer activity?
Rhonda: Looking forward to camping a little more this summer and doing some hiking. We haven’t planned a vacation yet.
Christina: During the summer, we usually go on walks as a family or for drives in our jeep with the top off. If it were up to me, we would visit a beach every summer, but unfortunately we haven’t made it to one every year. We’re going to have to change that!
What’s something you’re looking forward to in the near future?
Rhonda: Watching my granddaughters grow up, and living my life to the fullest–never taking a day or others for granted!
Christina: I am looking forward to buying a new home. We have been house hunting, and I’m ready to have a new place to grow in.
If you could give your 12-year-old self some advice, what would it be?
Rhonda: Be a Toys R Us Kid!
Christina: Being different is not bad. At that age in particular there is such pressure to be like everyone else. Don’t be. Be unapologetically you.