Putting it all into words on Faribault Daily News

Name: Trudy Suggs

Job title: Owner

Place of employment: T.S. Writing Services, LLC (www.tswriting.com) (Home business)

Provides writing, editing and design services.

Started at your job when? I began writing when I was 10, and was an editor for my high school’s newspaper in the Chicago area. The day after I quit my last job in New Jersey back in 2002, I got my first contractual editing job. On July 18, 2003, TSW was formally established.

Where was your last job? I was the editor of Silent News, a national newspaper for the deaf community. Prior to that, I was a nonprofit administrator in St. Paul and a freelance journalist.

Family: Husband Randy Shank, 19-month old daughter Eavan, 11-week- old son Keene, and an ever-loyal dog, Isre.

Best thing you like about your job: This is cliché, but I love how no workday is ever the same. I get to work with such diverse individuals and businesses. I love how I can influence their lives through my company. That’s a really rewarding feeling.

Biggest challenge of your job: There are three that come to mind. Many people come to TSW feeling as if they’re not good at writing or as if they’ve failed. But they shouldn’t. Even if you can put a grammatically correct sentence together, it doesn’t mean you can write or edit. We are trained in what we do, and we make sure clients get nothing but the very best quality. This is crucial because first impressions do count, and clients certainly don’t want to give off a bad impression. That’s why our slogan is, “Let us take care of your words.” Another challenge is not always having my editing hat on. Anywhere I go, whether it’s in Faribault, online or elsewhere, I constantly see things that need editing, like menus, Web sites, policies, and a million other things. But overall, the biggest challenge is how so many people think deaf people cannot write well, much less be writers or editors.

Funniest story about your work: This isn’t quite a job-related story, but it’s a favorite story of mine. A couple of years ago, I was at a bookstore in Burnsville. When I paid for the books, the employee realized I was deaf. She stammered as she pointed to the receipt needing my signature, “Uh ... can you ... uh, can you write?” I smiled politely and nodded. She stared intently at my hands as I signed the receipt. She was completely stunned that I could actually read, much less write ... never mind that I had a bunch of books in my hands. My husband quipped that I should have handed her my business card, which states that I am the owner of a writing company. The look on her face would have been priceless.

The key to succeeding at your job is: Being disciplined and passionate about what I do along with having excellent time management skills.

If you weren’t doing this for a living, what job would you be doing? Working as a nonprofit administrator or operating an animal rescue program.

Childhood hero? Why? I didn’t really have any heroes, but two journalists I greatly admire are Eric Zorn and Bob Greene.

Favorite movie: “Forrest Gump”

Favorite band/singer: There is nothing like “Deaf” music. If you haven’t seen deaf bands or dance groups like Beethoven’s Nightmare or Rathskellar, you’re missing out!

Favorite TV show: I have too many — thank goodness for DVR.

Favorite pastime: Reading, hiking and, given that I have two children under the age of two, sleeping.

— “Minding Your Business” is a weekly feature in the Faribault Daily News. Staff writer Pauline Schreiber is compiler. If you would like to recommend a person to be featured, contact her at 333-3127, or pschreiber@faribault.com.

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