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Watch the full interview with Julie Houle. https://youtu.be/DuSD4WjVcAQ
When Julie Houle joined Simms & Associates four years ago, both she and the company were entering a new chapter. Simms was already six years into its journey, while Julie was just beginning her professional career.
The opportunity came through a recommendation from Stephanie, and although workforce management was completely new to her, she saw it as a chance to learn and grow.
“It seemed like a good opportunity for me to learn something completely new,” she recalls.
One month after joining, Julie attended her first team meeting in Valencia. Meeting her colleagues in person so early in her journey helped her build relationships and feel connected to the wider team from the start.
Looking back, she sees those relationships as one of the most important parts of her experience so far.
“Since then, it’s really been about building my relationship with everyone,” she says.
Growing through new experiences
Unlike many people entering the workforce management world, Julie’s path was far from traditional. After completing her initial training, she spent almost two years working on forecasting projects before eventually moving into timekeeping.
The transition brought new challenges, requiring her to adapt quickly and develop skills in areas she had never worked in before.
“It was a bit difficult,” she admits, reflecting on the shift between specialisms.
Yet those experiences ultimately broadened her perspective and strengthened her understanding of workforce management. Today, she sees the combination of forecasting and timekeeping experience as one of the factors that has helped her develop professionally.
More broadly, Julie describes the last four years as a period of continuous personal and professional growth.
“I feel like I was just a kid four years ago,” she says. “Now I feel more like an adult.”
Rather than a single defining moment, she points to the accumulation of experiences, projects and learning opportunities that have gradually shaped who she is today.
One of the biggest surprises along the way was discovering how much of her role would involve people. Initially expecting to focus mainly on configuration and technical work, she quickly realised that understanding customers, cultures and personalities would be equally important.
“What I learned is really to be able to adapt to different people and personalities and cultures,” she explains.
A culture built on reliability
When asked what truly defines the way people work together at Simms, Julie’s answer is immediate: reliability.
For her, one of the company’s greatest strengths is knowing that support is always available, regardless of experience level or job title.
“You can always count on someone,” she says.
Having joined with no previous workforce management experience, that willingness to help made a significant difference to her development. Whether it was colleagues with years of expertise or fellow team members learning alongside her, there was always someone ready to offer guidance.
As the company has grown, Julie believes this culture has remained unchanged.
In fact, she argues that growth has strengthened it. Today there are even more people willing to share their knowledge, bringing a wider range of experience and perspectives to the team.
That same culture is also one of the main reasons she has stayed.
“Simms has invested a lot in me,” she explains.
Combined with the flexibility of remote working, opportunities to travel and the chance to connect with colleagues throughout the year, she feels part of something that is difficult to find elsewhere.
“It’s very difficult to find this family kind of culture,” she says.
Looking ahead, Julie is excited by the opportunities that continued growth will bring. Having experienced constant development throughout her time at Simms, she sees the future as another opportunity to learn, take on new challenges and continue building her career.
“I feel like we can only go up from here,” she says.
To close the conversation, Julie highlights the next person in our interview series: John J. Robert. Although they have not yet had the opportunity to work together directly, she credits him with helping to grow the North American business and describes him as a true professional.
As our 10th Birthday Series continues, we keep celebrating the people who have shaped Simms & Associates — and those who continue to drive its future.
One story every week. One year celebrating the people behind Simms & Associates.