Family Dollar announces Region 13 Manager of the Year

DOUG SCHRODER PHOTO The Gazette
Fellow Winnebago Family Dollar employees pose for a picture with store manager Teresa Berogan. Berogan was recently selected as Family Dollar Region 13 Manager of the Year. From left – Ashley Warmoth, Kristina Dulgar, Teresa Berogan, Chris Booth and Olivia Fiorenzo. Not pictured: Barb Kosier, Pilar Gustafson, Becky Melester.

Teresa Berogan of Winnebago Store 7583 honored
By Doug Schroder
CORRESPONDENT
Monday morning, July 1, started just like any other workday in the 13 years Winnebago Family Dollar Store manager Teresa Berogan had been employed by the chain. It was her first day back from a vacation to Las Vegas, so she was going about the store catching up to speed with what needed to be done, along with her normal duties.
Berogan was at the cash register checking out some customers around 9:30 a.m. when she was surprised to see Family Dollar Region 13 director Kelly O’Dea come walking into the store carrying a bouquet of balloons.
Other store managers who had secretly come to celebrate the occasion quickly fell in behind O’Dea as she walked over to Berogan and presented the bouquet to her and announced Berogan as the 2019 Store Manager of the Year for Region 13.
“We’re so proud of you, and congratulations,” concluded O’Dea at the end of the announcement.
Berogan was visibly moved by the moment. She immediately hugged O’Dea, then walked over and gave her district manager Denelle Gordon a hug. Berogan also thanked each of the women.
After taking a few moments to get composed again, Berogan then posed for pictures with management and her staff.
Sullivan’s Foods front manager Dora Squalls then came in to personally deliver an order of donuts and congratulated Berogan on her accomplishment.
Berogan then went back to helping customers, receiving congratulations from many of them.
As Berogan was helping the customers, I talked with her district manager, Denelle Gordon, asking Gordon about some of the criteria for the winning the award.
“Her shrink numbers, plus her sales since the renovation have increased anywhere from twenty to thirty percent due to, obviously, her merchandising and customer service skills and keeping things in stock,” replied Gordon.
Family Dollar Region 13 is quite large containing 150 stores spread out within boundaries running from Gary, IN, up to Milwaukee, WI, over to Madison WI, then down into the Quad Cities and Des Moines, Iowa, then over to Springfield, IL.
Among the managers from other Family Dollar stores to be there for the occasion was Rose Lorden of the Byron store. Lorden has been with the company for eight years and was the 2013 Manager of the Year for Region 13, She attributes much of her success to Berogan,
“I didn’t know anything when I first started, I was constantly calling Teresa asking how do I do this, or how do I do that. She was my mentor,” said Lorden.
Lorden and Berogan have developed a friendly rivalry over the years as they vie for business from customers that live in between Byron and Winnebago and shop at both stores.
Berogan will be traveling in August on an all expenses paid trip to the Family Dollar Managers Conference held in Charlotte, NC, where there will be an awards ceremony. She will be picked up at the airport by a limousine and receive the red carpet treatment during her stay. An added bonus is Berogan has a daughter who lives down that way that she will be able to visit with.