Tammy Koleski

Business Academy Graduate Builds Successful Career as Professional Realtor

Tammy Koleski, Office & Administrative Assistant, Class of: 1987
Tammy Koleski might still be searching for her niche in life if not for the Lorain County JVS, where the skills she learned has guided her down a career path in office management.

“I’ve always been a workaholic and wanted to advance from an entry-level position quickly,” stated Koleski. “I knew that if I planned on going to college, I’d have to do it on my own, but decided I didn’t want to spend four years pursuing a degree.”

The JVS Business Academy provided Koleski, a 1987 Midview graduate, with basic office tools such as keyboarding and filing, and more advanced skills in accounting, record keeping and customer service.

“My teachers were dedicated and very knowledgeable about business practices,” said Koleski. “They weren’t intimidated by a room full of young women who thought they knew it all. We were well prepared for work in the business world.”

Koleski, who enjoys working with numbers, said the Office and Administrative Assistant Program was a perfect fit for her. She began working at Beneficial Finance, in Elyria during her senior year at the JVS and remained with the company as a customer service manager.

“I was 17-years-old and making very good money thanks to the hands-on experience the JVS provided me,” said Koleski.

Koleski’s career path included a position as transportation secretary for Midview Schools and as a union secretary for the pattern makers at Ford Motor Company’s Brook Park plant. She’s been her own boss for the past 5 years, working as a very successful, licensed Realtor® for Howard Hanna Smythe Cramer Real Estate Company. In 2007, she was awarded the prestigious honor of “Lorain County Association of Realtors® - 2007 Realtor® of the Year”.

“People told me that I had an unfair advantage knowing so much about office management and an understanding of financing when I first started in the real estate industry,” stated Koleski. “But I think my JVS business training gave me an incredible advantage because I’m now able to pass along the skills I learned at the JVS to my employees.”

Koleski said her job is very rewarding and recommends the JVS Business Academy programs to anyone serious about jump-starting their careers in office management.

“I graduated from the JVS ready for the working world,” Koleski said. “The opportunity was there for me to take and I ran with it.”

For more information about careers in business and office management for both high school students and adults, contact the Lorain County JVS at [email protected], 440/774-1051 (Oberlin/Elyria), 440/9860\-6601 (Lorain).