Team Q&A: Erin Poole – Client Accounts Manager

Between decades of professional experience with customers from all walks of life and a love of nature, it’s no wonder that our Client Accounts Manager Erin Poole came on board. From hiking and camping to sustainability efforts like rooftop solar for her home, Erin is inspired to fight climate change and protect our natural environment. Join us in welcoming Erin to the Virtual Peaker team!

How did your previous life prepare you for Virtual Peaker?

Before I worked here, I spent about 19 years in hospitality. Then I went to a financial technology start-up, which was again customer-facing. My job, whether it’s hospitality or a client accounts manager is to build relationships, build trust, and understand people’s needs and goals and turn that into something actionable.

I had no experience in energy whatsoever, however, I will say that Colorado, my home state, is a really beautiful place and that beauty is inspiring to a lot of people who live here to protect the environment and be more sustainable. To find a job that aligns with your personal goals of being better and more sustainable, that’s what drew me to Virtual Peaker. My personal life set me up to want this job and my professional experience has trained me to do my job.

Tell us about your role at Virtual Peaker.

I work as a Client Accounts Manager where I work with an assortment of wonderful clients all across the United States and Canada. I pride myself on nurturing relationships with clients and fellow associates. What that means is that my role is to understand our client’s needs, typically a utility, and help drive them toward success. Each utility has different goals and different ways to achieve those goals. That includes trying to realize their ideas or to help them with their own ideas. I’m a facilitator of dreams and goals.

How do you personally engage in sustainability efforts?

Well, we just had solar panels put on our roof, so there’s that. On the day-to-day, I try to be mindful of what I do. We do the basic things like recycling, I try not to blast the air conditioning; I’ll do the Jimmy Carter thing and put a sweater on. I’m learning how to be a builder gardener so I can grow my own food. My peppers weren’t great this year, but my tomatoes are fire. Right now, I have a boatload of tomatoes that are still green.

What can you tell us about yourself?

I think I’m like the classic Colorado girl: I love to be outside, whether I’m going on walks with my dog, camping, hiking, and cooking. I’m a pretty boss cook. I’m learning to fly fish. My husband likes to fly fish, but it’s so serene. There’s something to be said about standing in a cold river and out smart a fish. It’s really relaxing and settling. I think that’s why I like to camp, to be alone in nature and get settled.