“My challenge in life is just to make people smile all day. When you can
be a blessing to somebody, and you can make their day or make them
feel important, make them feel valued, it’s a great day.”
GIVING BACK TO COMMUNITIES
For more than 100 years,
H-E-B’s commitment and involvement
in the community
has been an important part
of the way they do business.
They’re proud to support initiatives
like the H‐E‐B Food
Bank Assistance Program,
our annual Feast of Sharing
holiday dinners, and the
Spirit of H‐E‐B trailer that
provides on‐site relief in
areas devastated by natural
disasters.
“When we opened, I was literally selected because
I had such a heart for the community, and that was
something that Charles (Butt, the CEO of H-E-B) was very
passionate about for who was selected to run this store,”
McKenzie said.
As a member on the board of the Huntsville-Walker
County Chamber of Commerce, McKenzie is connected to
the pulse of the community, enabling her to help whether
it’s personally or professionally. She’s also a part of the
Rotary Club and The Ark Church, with whom she served in
her most memorable event of the year, the Night to Shine
Special Needs Prom, as well as helping to remodel the
Huntsville ISD teacher break rooms.
Few to no H-E-B stores can say they do more than
Huntsville’s and it’s all due to their leader. Unique events
that feed the community, like the Souper Bowl of Caring
and Feast of Sharing, as well as projects like remodeling
the cat room at Rita B. Huff and sponsoring heifers
through the Walker County Fair are brought forward by
McKenzie herself.
“I’m not here to survive, I’m here to thrive, and I want
my city to do the same thing,”
McKenzie said.
Noting the emphasis that
she places on education and the
future of Huntsville, McKenzie
also tries to support the schools
as much as possible. Huntsville’s
H-E-B frequently volunteers to
feed children at the Boys & Girls
Club of Walker County and works
with Huntsville High School special
needs students at the store
to teach them about work and life
skills.
“Kids are our future and we
want to contribute anything to
make them better,” McKenzie
said. “I feel like education is so
important because of the fact that
if students can go to school and
feel appreciated, feel loved and
have an environment that’s safe
… It gives them more confidence
to grow and be healthier adults.”
As a manager and mentor to
her younger partners, her mentality
for giving back is imparted on
her team, proudly noting that five
to 10 of her partners typically sign
up for each volunteer event held
by the store.
With a team made up mostly of college students,
McKenzie said that it’s not uncommon that her 20-somethings
will come in for a part time job, and stay for a
career. McKenzie broke records with the most partners
entered into the H-E-B school of retail management, or
SWARM, her first year open, with 10 partners entering
the program. Now, she is up to 18.
“A lot of these are students going through college
not really knowing what they want to do, so really taking
somebody and telling them the possibilities and giving
them a career path is a huge thing to me,” McKenzie said.
It’s not unfamiliar territory for her, while working her
way through college at Randall’s as a pharmacy technician,
McKenzie found herself drawn to the customer
service aspect of the store, leaving college to pursue her
calling of bringing smiles to people’s faces.
“My challenge in life is just to make people smile all
day,” McKenzie said. “When you can be a blessing to
somebody, and you can make their day or make them feel
important, make them feel valued, it’s a great day.”
HUNTSVILLE LIVING | FALL 2020 | 23