Nikole Pena

Featured Leader at Anctil

FAST FACTS

Key Dates

Nikole Joined Anctil: 2023

Anctil Joined Midway: 2023

Leadership

Current Position: Office Manager

Starting Position: Administrative Assistant

Learn About Anctil

Meet Nikole

If you ask Nikole Pena about her primary responsibility as office manager for Anctil, she is succinct: “I’m here to make our employees’ lives easier.” At Midway, we admire her dedication and enthusiasm and see daily how it positively influences her co-workers.

A RAPID START

“I want us to be able to just fly through it and be like, ‘We got this!’”

Thanks to a close friend who had worked at Anctil for years, Nikole was aware of its uniquely positive and energetic work environment. In early 2023, coming off 15 years of experience as a coffee shop owner, she seized the opportunity to apply for an office administration position. During the interview process, she was surprised to learn about Midway's recent acquisition of Anctil, but it was clear to her that Midway was committed to "holding onto and nurturing what had already been built."

Starting as an administrative assistant, Nikole's adaptability and leadership skills quickly led to her current role as office manager. Her leadership style is a grounds-up approach, focusing on cross-training and creating a nimble management system. This approach has multiple benefits, including making it safe for employees to take time off. “I don't want the castle to come crumbling down if someone has to be out for a week,” she says, “I want us to be able to just fly through it and be like, ‘We got this!’”

A BRIDGE BETWEEN

“You feel like you work for this locally-owned, small, family-run business while getting the benefits of working for a big company.””

Nikole’s career experiences give her a unique perspective on the synergy between Midway and Anctil. She describes it as “a wonderful combination” where “you feel like you work for this locally-owned, small, family-run business while getting the benefits of working for a big company.” She highlights the benefits package as the best she's seen, noting it wouldn’t be possible for a small business to match it. (She’s personally enjoyed a trip to Italy with her mother, aunts, and cousins – “Nine ladies in Italy,” as she describes it.)

Much of Nikole’s responsibilities involve strengthening this connection between Midway’s central resources and Anctil's local operations. Shortly after being hired, she attended a Midway meeting about finances. “That was when it sunk in that Midway has a lot of really smart people – the right people in the right seat on the bus, people that are in it to win it,” she says. She is optimistic that the synergy will continue to build and that she has a seat on the bus herself.

A LOCAL LEGACY

“It’s a mind-blowing experience to get call after call in the office from people requesting Anctil services.”

Nikole takes a great deal of pride in being part of Anctil and Midway. She appreciates how Anctil retained employees and preserved its identity after joining Midway. She calls the brand “the epitome of Portland,” explaining the power of the local art in their office, eclectic branding on items like t-shirts, a partnership with a local brewery, and participation in community events like the Rose Parade. Most importantly, the brand is tied to a reputation for quality work. “It’s a mind-blowing experience,” she says, “to get call after call in the office from people requesting Anctil services.”

At Midway, welcoming a new brand into our family means entrusting its legacy to leaders like Nikole. We look forward to witnessing Anctil’s growth and success under the stewardship of Nikole and the other leaders at Anctil.