Best Office Solutions owners, Robin Baxley and Sandi Shields embody the saying, “Teamwork makes the dream work.”
“We can’t do it without teamwork,” Baxley said. “We can’t do it without each and every person who works here. That’s why, when we succeed, we reward everyone from the people making the sales to the delivery drivers and the ladies answering the phones.”
Shields added that no one at Best Office Solutions will ever say “That’s not my job.”
“Robin and I will jump in and clean the bathrooms. I’m cleaning the warehouse today,” she said. “We get in the trenches with our team. Everyone does every job, from making sure the truck is gassed up to making sure the showroom is ready for customers.”
That attitude inspired the staff of the Waynesboro business to nominate both women for Augusta Business Daily’s Businesspeople of the Month. The nomination, drafted by the whole staff, said: “Both women deserve a multitude of recognition. We would love to nominate Robin Baxley and Sandi Sheilds. Two of the “BEST! They enable their employees to specialize in not micromanaging. Robin and Sandi have put a team together that is cohesive, supportive, and goal-oriented. They are shooting for the stars with their all-star, employee lineup. They have secured hardworking, honest, relationship-oriented people who do the right thing every time.”
At the beginning of the year, Best Office Solutions celebrated 24 years of catering to the office needs of commercial clients in Waynesboro and beyond. The company provides everything from office supplies, signage, and janitorial supplies to office furniture and interior decorating in 30 counties in mid and east Georgia and into South Carolina.
“We do a lot but we really specialize in furniture and interiors,” Shields said. “Often, we will sell the furniture and the client will ask us to decorate the office. We love doing that.”
Baxley enjoys the variety of what the company does.
“No two days are the same,” she explained. “We’re never in the same place and doing the same thing every day. It’s fun; we’re never bored.”
The women believe strongly in empowering the whole team. They encourage all employees to make decisions knowing the owners will support them. Baxley points to their BLT model – Best Leadership Team.
“We want everyone who works here to be leaders in this business but also in the community or life in general,” Baxley said. “We are always investing in our team to help them grow personally, in the business, and in every way they can.”
Shields added: “We work very hard to take care of our people so they will take care of our business.”
Continuing to be successful after 24 years is no easy feat. Shields attributes that success largely to customer service.
“It sounds cliche, but I had a customer introduce me at a networking event and said ‘We do business with them because they answer the phone.’ Our response, our honesty, integrity, and customer service have brought us where we are today,” she said. “We never want customers to have surprises, and we always do what we say we’re going to do.”
Best Office Solutions is at 142 S. Liberty St., Waynesboro. For more information, call (877) 533-BEST (2378) or go to BestOfficeSolutions.com.
