The Faces Behind Southwind: Yvonne Horen

The first Face of Southwind is Yvonne Horen: an essential teammate and leader within the company. She has not only completely revolutionized inside sales, but she has also touched the lives of all her teammates. 

Yvonne started at Southwind in 2018 as the You Move Me Relocation Advisor. Before starting this position, she worked in sales at a large chain store in many cities across the United States. She said before Southwind she was never in one spot for very long and moved too frequently to really establish roots anywhere. She was not able to create lasting relationships because of this and the people she did have in her life were not promoting her growth. During this stage, Yvonne never saw herself in a leadership role, because she did not have the support system to push her to believe in herself which caused her to lack confidence.

When Yvonne first came in for the interview, she questioned if the position was right for her. Originally she was looking for a very typical Monday to Friday job and this position required her to work weekends and often break the nine to five mold. Jeff Scott (Director of People and Culture) noted her hesitation, but knew that she would be a great fit for the role. 

 “During her interview, I could tell she was skeptical at first but I was impressed with her experience and the growth she was looking for. Later that day, I called her because we didn’t want to miss the opportunity for her to join the team,” Scott said. 

  Yvonne decided to give the job a shot because of the enthusiasm Scott had during the interview process. When she came in for her first day, she knew that she had made the right choice. She could feel the excitement when she walked in and was thrilled that someone was waiting for her when she got there and already knew her name. She later found out that the man who made her feel so welcome was CEO Josh Herron. “He was genuinely excited to have me there and I will never forget that moment,” Yvonne said. 

Yvonne did not stay in the Relocation Specialist role for very long and rapidly started taking on more responsibility. She’s held many positions at Southwind, including: YMM Relocation Advisor, OBE Specialist, OBE Manager, Sales Center Manager, and is currently the Director of Inside Sales. She was an obvious choice for leadership roles within the sales wing. Tyler Staszak (President & CFO) noticed her grit and determination within each position she took on and was not surprised with how much she was able to grow within the organization. 

“It was a no-brainer to make her the Director of Inside Sales. She has the ability to get people to follow her lead and she motivates the people around her to give maximum effort through leading by example. These traits were very impressive in someone as young as she was,” Staszak said. 

Her rapid growth at Southwind was not surprising to Herron. He knew that she had the potential to do great things, but she just needed to believe in herself. Once she knew she was capable of anything, Herron knew she just needed to develop the skills she already had. He continued to work with her and was always there for her when she needed advice or that extra push to achieve greatness. 

“Her evolution has been tremendous. She has become an incredible leader, gathers information constantly, and is open to receiving feedback. [Yvonne] developed all these skills through her time here at Southwind,” Herron said. 

The experiences Yvonne had in life built the foundation for her to be a great leader. The people she met at Southwind saw these qualities in her when she was not ready to see them in herself. The personal challenges she has faced not only make her organized and driven,  but also made her excellent at relating to her teammates. One of Yvonne’s strongest qualities is that she makes her teammates believe that despite where they are in life they can achieve all of their goals if they just trust in themselves and have a strong support system. Since Yvonne lacked encouragement for a long time, she makes sure all of her teammates are able to find it within the sales wing. 

Amber Morlan (Assistant National Sales Director) has been working alongside Yvonne since 2019. Morlan has faced her own struggles while at Southwind but mentioned that Yvonne was always there for her no matter what. She used her own experiences to support her teammate and give advice.  “Her team is always the most important thing to her. When anyone in the sales wing is having an off day, she drops everything to make sure the people around her are okay. She makes people a priority and truly listens to us and gives the best advice,” Morlan said. 

Yvonne however did not just stop within her own department. She also impacted the lives of so many other people at Southwind. After some strong suggestions from Herron, Yvonne became close friends with Cameron Burns (Director of Marketing). Burns had just moved to Kansas City from small-town Missouri and her main focus was her career. Making friends in Kansas City was not a priority in her life until she met Yvonne. Burns said that she is now a better person because of this friendship after witnessing how accepting and compassionate Yvonne is to everyone. 

“I hope she never loses sight of the people around her and how much of an impact she is able to have on their lives. She’s made a lot of people better at what they do and who they are while working here,” Burns said. 

Not only have the people around Yvonne seen her continue to grow, but she has also seen herself change so much over her time at Southwind. She said that she has been able to achieve so much more than she ever expected.  

“Southwind saved my life and I’m very thankful for my journey. Only God knows where I would be if I did not start working here, but I’m beyond grateful for the family I have here now and how much I feel loved and a part of something,” Yvonne said. 

Yvonne has evolved so much here but she still thinks back on the girl she used to be. Today she is a strong, determined leader but she knows this was not always the case. “If I could say something to my younger self when I first started working here, it would be - to have confidence, trust the process, and value myself enough to stand up for who I am and what I can truly accomplish in life. Also to believe that anything is possible as long as you put your mind to it.”

Her favorite part of her current role is getting to help the people around her overcome obstacles in their personal and professional lives, and watching them grow into the best versions of themselves. While she is not able to actually tell her younger self to keep believing, she is able to share this message with the people whose lives she gets to impact. 

She never expected to see her life go from where it was then, to where it is now. Southwind has given her not only great opportunities but also lifelong friends and strength. While this company has changed her, she has also drastically changed Southwind. Without her leadership, the sales wing would not have been able to grow in the capacity it has. Her kindness and relatability inspires her team to strive for greatness.