Meet Klein from the Leadership Coshocton County Class of 2024
Amanda Klein was born and raised in Coshocton, to parents who moved here as the “half-way point” between their families in Steubenville and Upper Sandusky.
She attended Sacred Heart for elementary school then River View Junior High and high school, where she graduated in 2002. She met her husband, Dustin, her sophomore year, and they have been together since. Amanda initially “only wanted to be a mom and have a family” after having experienced her parents separation and divorce. In July 2002, Amanda married Dustin, and they moved to Akron so he could start in an apprenticeship program. At that time, she worked in a daycare but in 2003, they moved back to Coshocton when he was laid off. Their first daughter, Ryann, was born in October 2003 and Dustin began working for Hathaway Construction.
Amanda began working at Windsorwood in April 2004 while completing her STNA at COTC, which she received in May of that year. She remained at Windsorwood for 14 years, and in 2016 worked as an administrative assistant. During this time, their family grew, with the birth of Rileigh (2005); Regan (2007), and Briar (2011). During this time, Dustin continued to work for Hathaway, and by 2018, Amanda was ready to “slow down and be more available for her kids,” while Dustin had become vice president at Hathaway. She then started working part-time for Hathaway, cleaning and filing to have “extra money for the kids.” In 2019 the office manager left and Chuck Hathaway offered Amanda the position, which she admitted, “I didn’t want the position but the end goal was to purchase the company, so I accepted it.”
As office manager, Amanda “does everything.” She manages the cash flow for the company – billing, invoicing, payroll, purchase orders for jobs and ensures accurate billing and reporting by time for each job. She types quotes and is responsible for monthly and quarterly reporting for taxes and reports the carpenters and laborers hours to the union for benefits. She admittedly “keeps Dustin on his toes; ensuring the guys are where they need to be,” and said, “We balance each other out.” She points out she had “no formal education” and all she learned for this position was “self-taught.” She said, “all you have to have is drive and willingness to learn, and you can achieve it.” She is very proud of where she and Dustin have come in the last five years and excited for the future of Hathaway.
Amanda is not formally involved in any organizations, although she regularly volunteers and gives to a family at First Step for Christmas. She believes in the mission of First Step and has seen first-hand how it helps families grow and flourish. Her family is also a host family for foreign exchange students.
Amanda decided to participate in Leadership Coshocton because she “knew they were going to be owners of Hathaway, and wanted to grow in her leadership skills and also learn more about the community.” She wasn’t “involved in a lot as a kid” and has found Leadership to be “a good tool to learn and know what’s going on.” She wants to help make Coshocton a place for her kids to want to return and people to visit. Amanda wants to “gain leadership skills and more knowledge” and “learn more about herself, who she is as a person” because she saw the growth her daughter, Rileigh, had through Coshocton County Youth Leadership. She thinks more youth should be taught leadership skills in the classroom – how to be a leader; how to socialize and communicate because not all children are in homes where those skills are taught.
When asked her view of the community, Amanda said, “It’s a great community; very humbling to see how the community comes together for those in need. I like living in a small community because everybody knows somebody – we’re all watching out for each other and our kids. The community is growing and there are great things happening.” She looks forward to the growth and improvements – “things are getting better.”
To make the county stronger, Amanda said, “We need to continue to, and try harder to, keep things local. Find a way to give contracts to a local contractor rather than an outside contractor.”
Amanda would “absolutely” recommend Leadership Coshocton for others, stating, “It’s a great class for all community leaders. There’s always room for growth in leadership. I feel like I’ve gained a lot already. It makes me think; to stop, think and reflect, ‘how can I be better?’”
Category: People & Places
