I cursed the weather on Thursday afternoon as I trudged from my car to the warm confines of Rittenhouse of Portage. Winter was trying to strong-arm April. But my sour mood was short-lived. I was going to see Judy Kukelka, this week's Portage Life in the Spotlight, and how can anyone be unhappy when she's around?
Born and raised in Lowell, Indiana, Kukelka attended Lowell High School and afterward became a family woman. Deciding later that it was time to go back to school, she attended a small college in Merrillville, Indiana and received her education in medical billing and coding and as an administrative assistant.
Indianapolis was the next destination that Kukelka and her family made home. That is where she found another home at Emeritus, a large company in the industry.
"I started in Indy as an administrative assistant. My main role was to assist each department. So if the administrator had tasks to do I would help, if the marketing department had something to do I would help, if the business office needed help I would help them, too. I was kind of the jack of all trades," Kukelka said.
Shortly after coming to Emeritus, the Marketing Director at Kukelka's location left, so she had to fill the role. After nine months. Rittenhouse bought the building that she was working in. They asked her to stay on and work with them and she conceded. What brought her back to Valpo was the opening of the Valparaiso location of Rittenhouse and the fact that she was from the area. She opened the Valpo location and then came to Portage and opened that location. She has been at the Portage location ever since.
"Having worked for a larger company there are a lot of hoops that you have to jump through in order to provide that great quality care that Rittenhouse is able to do. Rittenhouse is a smaller company that puts a personal touch on things for its residents and provides great care and they stand by that," Kukelka said.
Kukelka is the Sales and Marketing Director, and her role at Rittenhouse is to get the name out to the public and build relationships with the referral sources out in the community; the doctors, the hospitals, etc. She gives tours of the facility to show what the company has to offer.
"I love what I do. I love the residents," Kukelka said. "I learn from them. They are so full of wisdom and knowledge and advice."
Outside of work, Kukelka is very involved in the Valpo and Portage communities. You can find her at the Valpo Noon Kiwanis, she is a committee chair for the Day of Caring, she is on the Portage Mayor's Senior Advisory Council, she is on the Portage Chamber Board of Directors, she's a chair for the Portage Chamber Directory, she represents Rittenhouse as a member of the Duneland Chamber of Commerce, and she is part of an organization called Continuity of Care.
"We have to give back to the community. And I do it personally and professionally. I want to give back in some way. It's also a win-win. When people know who i am, they are more likely to place their trust in me and my company when they are looking to place a loved one in senior residential care," Kukelka said.
Outside of work, Kukelka and her family spends as much time outside as possible. She has three very active boys and they go to the dunes, they run, play sports, and more.
She's a full-time working woman, a mom, and an active volunteer? How does she manage to do it all and keep a smile on her face...and find time to sleep?
"I have a very supportive husband," Kukelka said. "I owe it all to him."
Any advice on how others can live life to the fullest and maintain a positive outlook?
"I'm very much a believer in living for today," Kukelka said. "You don't know what tomorrow brings. I don't know that I will be able to work tomorrow, or coach my son's baseball team tomorrow. Do everything that you can today."
See how this lovely lady can be smile-inducing. I left Rittenhouse with a lighter disposition that I'm sure many others have after spending time with Judy Kukelka, a Portage Life in the Spotlight.