Sylvia Viezca, Voice of Leeco® Steel

image of Sylvia Viezca

A note to our readers: After 35 years with Leeco Steel, Sylvia retired from the company in August 2021. We will greatly miss the “voice of Leeco” and the deep impact she left on the company, but we wish her all the best in her post-retirement life.

“Good morning, Leeco Steel!”

If you ever call Leeco Steel’s main phone line, chances are high that Sylvia Viezca, receptionist and sales associate and “voice of Leeco,” will answer.

When Sylvia joined Leeco in 1986, the sound of clacking typewriters – not computer keyboards – filled Leeco’s small Chicago office on Kostner Ave. Sylvia ran errands for the company, which included picking-up mail at the post office, among other various administrative tasks. Sylvia was interested in learning more about Leeco’s sales operations and growing her own skills, so she often assisted coworkers with creating and filing order invoices.

Sylvia continued to learn how the business ran through the paperwork she handled and from speaking with sales representatives. The Leeco team grew close with Sylvia and loved her can-do attitude.

“Sylvia is a fixture at Leeco Steel,” said Dave Williams, corporate sales manager, who started working with Sylvia in 1994. “There weren’t really a lot of lunch options near our office on Kostner, so Sylvia would cook delicious lunches for our whole office. She truly cares about everyone here and takes care of us like family.”

The 90’s saw a lot of technology changes as computers replaced typewriters and emails replaced memos and phone calls. Sylvia pushed herself to learn the new technology, taking a basic computer skills course to keep up with the changes.

Now, computers take the place of typewriters and Leeco Steel has 11 distribution centers instead of one small office. Sylvia manages Leeco Steel’s main phone line. She has over 40 extensions memorized and can transfer callers in seconds to the right employee. Sylvia also assists and greets customers, who, she says, are “number one,” and encourages and motivates the entire Leeco team.

“Sylvia embodies Leeco Steel’s family-like culture,” said Denton Nordhues, CEO and president. “She is a highly-respected member of our team, and her encouragement and support help keep our business running. We are honored to have Sylvia as a part of the Leeco Steel family.”

Even with all the changes over the years, one thing stayed the same – Sylvia’s love for the people at Leeco Steel. Leeco’s team is her favorite part of working here, and she considers all her coworkers to be a second family.

After three decades, Sylvia still gets up every weekday to work at Leeco Steel. She has no intention of giving up her role as the “voice of Leeco” anytime soon, because she isn’t just going to a job – she is going to her home away from home.

sylvia and rita celebrate their work anniversary