Janitorial Services: Meet JoAnn Serengel

“Thank gosh for Portland Habilitation Center,” said JoAnn Serengel, an employee of PHCNW’s janitorial department. “After three hip replacements and a terrible accident, I no longer could do the career I had. I worked in a prison for a long time.  I was really worried, because I was out of the normal work force for so long. I am doing fine now though and everything is feeling great.”

JoAnn is a contract employee at Danner/Lacrosse footwear.  She said it is a nice place to work, the people are very friendly and polite and that they appreciate the work the janitors do.

In order to be a good janitor, JoAnn focuses on being very detail-oriented and reliable.

“If I was the owner of a building and couldn’t depend on the janitors to keep it clean each day, then I wouldn’t keep that person,” she said. “As far as the details go, Bill and I zero-in on things to make sure nothing is missed.”
 
She believes that establishing a clean work environment is very important, and it would difficult to be productive in a filthy area.
 
“If someone were to say the job of a janitor is not very important, I would say just the opposite,” JoAnn said.  “It is very important. Because even though you are a janitor, the janitors maintain a good atmosphere.  They maintain the cleanliness of the building, and I wouldn’t want to work in a place that wasn’t clean.”

JoAnn has never been unemployed, she has always worked. She always looks forward to the “little things” working part-time for PHCNW.

“It is only for four hours, but it gives me some interaction with people, and it gives me money,” she said. “Having this job means security, which is something I need.”

Those who know JoAnn would say she is resourceful and self-reliant. She loves picking berries, especially huckleberries deep in the mountains. The employees at Danner love her because she brings in fresh jam and homemade bread.  She started hunting and fishing with her dad in Walla Walla, WA, and said she loved that her family was so outdoorsy. She also enjoys weaving her own rugs, camping, hiking, fishing and sewing.

“I have shot four elk and quite a few deer,” she said proudly. “The biggest salmon I have every caught was 53 pounds, and it is mounted on my wall.”

JoAnn has one child and three grandchildren. She loves being a grandma. Her favorite part about being a grandmother is that: “you can love them, but you don’t have to keep them forever.”