Tara Dunham wears many hats—and with a joyful smile—as JTB Supply’s Operations Manager. Tara’s positive energy is infectious, and she is one of the key team members who keep our business running its best every day.
Keep reading to learn more about Tara and why she believes the “key” to success is a perfect mix of passivity and collaboration.
Making Things Happen
Tara joined the JTB family in 2000 when Jeff’s wife—and Tara’s small-group leader—recommended she join the company as a receptionist. Before long, Tara was organically taking on more tasks, helping with estimating and project management, quickly working her way up the ladder. Today, as the operations manager, she helps coordinate projects and production/shipping schedules for the warehouse team while providing price estimates for clients and inside sales representatives. Finally, Tara helps manage projects for various contractors.
“My focus is to make sure everything gets done and out on time,” Tara says. “We are a small company, and everyone is working together to make things happen for our clients. We all do our parts to ensure a smooth operation.”
The Power of Positivity
Tara was still completing her degree at Cal State Fullerton when she first stepped in as JTB’s receptionist. Initially, Tara had her sights set on teaching but quickly realized she had a knack for project management and working with contractors. Interestingly, Tara’s parents own a construction company—her father has designed and built private waterski lakes and now builds custom homes—making her transition away from teaching somewhat organic. Tara’s upbringing around contractors, subcontractors, and equipment manufacturers prepared her in a sense for her role at JTB.
Aside from the ins and outs of the job itself, Tara appreciates the tight-knit family environment and believes in bringing a very positive approach to her role. Speaking with Tara, whether by phone or email, is a clear indicator that she finds joy in the day-to-day—you’ll most definitely receive a friendly greeting and words of encouragement.
“I love the people I work with,” Tara adds. “I respect how honest and transparent this company is with employees, customers, and our manufacturers. It’s a wonderful culture. Everyone communicates well with one another and we’re all on board with the JTB way of doing business.”
Whether land or water: it’s all about skiing
Although Tara calls Orange County “home,” she spent some of her formative years in Newberry Springs (with another JTB veteran, Mindy Myers). The community welcomed Tara’s family when her father was contracted to build a waterski lake in Newberry. Tara’s favorite activities are waterskiing (which she learned at only four years old), snow skiing, snowboarding, wakeboarding, and golfing. Tara and her husband are teaching their own two daughters to enjoy these exhilarating sports!
Adventure aside, Tara loves spending quality time with her family and friends, whether in their hometown of Yorba Linda or their second home in Indian Wells, where her family frequently visits.
Whether at work or play, you can guarantee Tara is always having a wonderful day. We’re so happy she’s a part of the JTB family!
Tara exemplifies working hard, consistent dependability, honesty, knowledge, and experience —she has blessed our team and customer base for 21+ years. Tara’s expertise allows her to navigate the different types of situations and provide solutions for the vendors, contractors, and other customers she communicates with daily. In addition, her organizational and planning skills, efficiency, and reliability, positively impacts project estimation, sending submittals for approval, or creating production schedules for First & Main’s intersection. We similarly appreciate Tara for providing exceptional service that our customers can rely on throughout these crazy supply chain times!
– Jeff York, President