FRIEND REQUEST: NATHAN BOTTORFF OF WALGREENS

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Over the years, nearly every time I walked into the Walgreens off of south Court Street in Crown Point, I was greeted by a deep friendly voice welcoming me to the store. My curiosity got the best of me, so I decided to sit down with Nathan Bottorff, a Sales Representative of Walgreens for close to 14 years, and hear more of his story.

LOCAL 219: My first question is, was it hobbies, family circumstances or your childhood that led you into the position you’re in?

Nathan Bottorff: Oh, just college, I suppose. Yeah, you know, you’re going to college, you need to earn money, something to pay for gas or whatever. So, that’s what I did

L219: So, you’ve stayed there ever since?

NB: Yea.

L219: Okay, my next question is, what gets you out of bed in the morning? What gets you excited for the day? 

NB: To be honest I never really think about it. Mostly I’ve gotten into a pattern; it’s pretty simple.

L219: Who do you feel has been one of the greatest influences in your life? 

NB: This is a difficult question as I learn so many things from so many people. My grandmother definitely played a significant role in my life. She taught me to be kind and good to others. She taught me to tie my shoes, play checkers, Chinese checkers, ping-pong, etc. She was laid back and preferred to dress in sweatshirts and sweatpants at home since they were more comfy.

She also had a unique way of keeping me out of trouble. As a child, I would pick up something I shouldn’t and she would calmly say, “I don’t think you should pick that up.” Then I would think, “I probably shouldn’t pick this up.” And put it back down. Over the course of time, I share her warmth and kindness with others in my day-to-day life.

L219: She sounds wonderful. What has been one of the lessons you’ve learned about life or business while working?

NB: My first store manager was Joyce De Rolf, a kind woman and a good boss. She taught me, “Treat others how you would want to be treated.” This is a lesson I practice daily at work by treating people like they just got back home. I welcome them, talk with them about their day, and discuss things like the latest Marvel shows or excellent food to eat. This creates a welcoming environment and brings out the best in people.

Along with that, people are very good and kind to me in turn. Some people really surprise me at how kind and thoughtful they are.

L219: That’s beautiful. I think the world would be a much better place if we followed that one rule. What do you enjoy most about working in your position? 

NB: Definitely the people I get to be. Yeah, so there’s a lot of unique people out there that coming to the store. Yeah for example I know this one lady who works in town. She owns a cuckoo clock repair place place and the funny thing for her is that she doesn’t have competition. Finding a cuckoo clock repair person is rather difficult, so she’s constantly busy.

L219: What an interesting career, and how fun!

NB: There’s another guy. I talked to, he works with drones so I get to talk about that with him, and that’s definitely interesting.

L219: I imagine you have a lot of regulars?

NB: Yeah, I do. There are customers who come in all the time and others, you know, you don’t know, but there’s several of them that are regular, and it’s really fun getting to meet them.

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