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Greenville graduate, Tiffany (Palmer) Thompson, (right), answers a
question from Mikaela Sharp about a snowblower at the Greenville Lowe's
recently. Thompson is key on providing good customer service. Thompson
came from the Lowe's in Troy and is now the store manager in
Greenville.
Local grad takes
reigns at Greenville Lowe's
By George Starks
GREENVILLE- When Tiffany (Palmer) Thompson was told she was going to be
the new store manager at the local Lowe's in Greenville, she was very
comfortable with her appointment.
A 2001 Greenville High School graduate, Thompson wasn't just taking
over just another Lowe's store.
"I was very much at ease with this decision " said Thompson. "It
wasn't like I was taking over a store in a community that I didn't
know. This is home for me and I'm very happy with this decision."
Coming back to Greenville from the Lowe's in Troy, Thompson has been
gone for 10 years.
A well known name from a well known family, Thompson's dad and
grandfather were both science teachers in the Greenville school
district.
Knowing hometown values from a small community, Thompson brings that
spirit to the table and prides herself on small town values.
"I think my being here puts the team more at ease because I'm not from
Dayton or out of state," Thompson stated. I think it brings a level of
comfort and continuity because I'm familiar with the community and
what's important here. Here, the Great Darke County Fair is huge and
people that aren't from here, they don't understand the magnitude that
holds. They don't understand the magnitude of how important community
is here. We need to get the message out that just because we are big
bucks, we are still local. The people that work here are local in the
county and they understand local values in the county. This is very
important to me and to the people of Darke and the surrounding
counties. I think small town values are vital to this store because of
this. We are very much a family here and I knew that before I ever came
here. The people work together as a team. Everybody helps everybody and
that's important, not only to me, but to our customers. They see the
continuity here and that is the image we want to promote to our
customers. It's family helping family."
Serving Darke County, the local Lowe's receives a huge portion of its
business from Mercer and Preble counties as well as Randolph County in
Indiana and parts of Montgomery County in Ohio.
With Lowe's being a shining star in the community, Thompson would like
to make the local store even more visible and brighter.
"I think we need more involvement in the community," Thompson pointed
out. "Yes, this is Lowe's but it's Lowe's of Greenville. It's not
just Lowe's corporate out of North Carolina. In the past years, we've
had a booth at the fair and it's been a huge presence there. We've
sponsored a blanket at the horse races. I would like to be more visible
at the fair though. I would like to be more visible in the 4-H
building. I want our presence everywhere, not just at our booth. I
would like to help the 4-H kids. To me that's huge. We need our Lowe's
banner to be seen by the community. This tells them we are a big part
of our fair and shaping the lives of the 4-H kids. Helping with the
materials the kids use in the barns for the animals. Things like
brushes and possibly lumber for the boxes to store the supplies in. A
sign that says `materials supplied by your local Lowe's.' Helping to
revamp some of the pens, say in the sheep or goat barns. Fencing around
the race track that might be damaged. That says we were involved
in helping the Darke County Fair or the kids in 4-H. I would like to
see our name mentioned so we can get the recognition for what we do in
the community. Maybe have our name mentioned in a brochure. Something
that tells the community we are there and a part of our fair and our
community. That's important, not only to me, but to the people that
work here and the community we serve. Possibly helping at the local
YMCA or the Boys & Girls Club in Darke County, even though they're
not affiliated with the national Boys & Girls Club. Maybe we can do
something locally to help them. There are many places we can make
ourselves more visible in our community and in the county."
Thompson went on to mention Michael's Home and several churches where
Lowe's has made a huge impact in the community and in the lives of
others.
"I think I really want the proper recognition for what we do,"
exclaimed Thompson. "We donate to many charities for fundraisers. We've
helped with the winners circle for the horse races at the fair. Robbie
(Grimm) mentioned something about the winners circle at the motorcycle
races at the fair. Maybe we can help build the platform for the top
three finishers in the race with the Lowe's banner on it. Little
things that let the community know that Lowe's is a big part of the
community and not just another big dollar, high volume store. This is
what separates Lowe's Greenville from the big city stores."
"We recently, sponsored our annual family for Christmas," said
Thompson. "This is not a corporate event. This is something our store
does. The associates here use their own money to supply one needy
family from the area to ensure they have a good Christmas."
Thompson was hired at Lowe's in 2007, starting with the Troy store.
She was promoted later to an Assistant Store Manager before being
promoted to her present position at Greenville.
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