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Shellie Crandall, SVP Product Development and Inventory/Reconciliation Operations
United States Army
At age 20, Shellie Crandall realized her job on a construction site operating a commercial crane, sometimes referred to as a cherry picker, wasn't challenging enough — even though she won the crew's lunch money by balancing open soda cans on the claw block and swinging it in every widening arc without spilling a drop! One day Shellie collected her winnings, walked off the job and headed straight to her small Ohio town's Army recruiting office. Three days later she was raising her right hand and was sworn into the United States Army where she would serve in the Military Police Corps.
After transferring to Heidelberg, Germany, Shellie applied for a close protection security detail for four-star general. Accepted for the position, Shellie trained in hand-to-hand combat, special weapons handling and how to maneuver the armored plated Mercedes Benz used to transport the general. In addition to the U.S. military training, Shellie attended the United Kingdom Royal Police Close Protection training program as its first female graduate. Once the training was finished, Shellie was assigned as the bodyguard for the Commander-in-Chief of the United States Army Europe.
It was an amazing journey full of physical challenges, exciting travel destinations and major personal growth. But adjusting to life in the civilian workforce wasn't always easy. Shellie recalls being frustrated at first working with fewer rules, more decision-making autonomy and poor coordination among teammates who didn't always share a common goal. As she worked through these challenges, Shellie discovered that her exposure to diverse people and situations in the Army served her in good stead while transitioning to the corporate world.
"My exposure to such a wide range of people, raised in different geographic areas and in homes with cultures and customs very different from my own helped me see the added value of being inclusive of all people — especially those who are different from me," Shellie said. "You don't learn the best lessons from people exactly like yourself. Instead, listening and respecting the views and experiences of others helps me give my very best to interactions with employees and customers each day."
In her role at Allied Universal® Retail Cash Solutions (RCS) division, Shellie continues to utilize and build upon the skills she first learned in the military — discipline, leadership, teamwork and the ability to quickly adapt to rapidly changing situations.
"I’m part of a team that creates products and services customized to meet our customer’s unique business requirements and working for Allied Universal® provides us the resources needed to fund these product development projects which occur often prior to landing the prospect as a client. Without that support, we would not have the flexibility to continue evolving our products and the market and customers require.
RCS provides technology-driven solutions that automate and eliminate cash handling and reconciling activities. They are the market leader in this space and provide products and services to the three-largest retailers in the U.S.
