Jairee Ketchum: Bringing Her Positive Attitude

After her kids went off to school this past fall, Jairee Ketchum decided to look for some part-time work. Her long-time friend, Kelli Devitte, who works at SAV-ON Insurance, mentioned that they needed someone to scan and file documents in the SAV-ON Des Moines office.

It was September, and the college kids that had worked there during the summer had gone back to school, so there were positions available. Jairee, who lives in nearby Federal Way, was happy to fill that need.

At first, she was mainly doing scanning and filing, but recently she has been helping out in the Data Entry department. She enjoys the variety of tasks; it keeps the job interesting.

Jairee grew up in Southern California. After earning her Associate of Arts degree in college, she decided to go on an adventure and move to Seattle. After working at various restaurants, she landed a job at Alaska Airlines and spent eight years in their mileage plan program as a reservations agent, eventually becoming a trainer for other reservation agents.

Then she met her husband and settled down to raise a family. She was a stay-at-home mom for years, raising three daughters, and kept busy volunteering at her childrens’ schools and doing various volunteer projects in the community.

But now that her daughters are in high school and college, she decided to find a part-time job and the SAV-ON job offer just happened to come up. Being able to work with her long-time friend, Kelli, just added to the appeal.

When asked what she brings to the job, she mentions her positive attitude. “My kids always tell me, ‘Mom, you’re always so positive’,” she laughs. “I always try to have a positive attitude toward most things.”

She certainly is positive about her family. All three daughters have been ballerina dancers (one still is) and they ended up cheerleadering at their schools. One of her favorite things to do is spend time with her husband and kids. And the beach is one of her favorite destinations.

“My most memorable experience? Celebrating Christmas with my family,” she says. “It’s the best time of the year!”

Her job at SAV-ON is a continuation of the family atmosphere she enjoys so much. She feels the atmosphere is very welcoming and family-oriented. She thrives in the SAV-ON environment and thoroughly enjoys working there.

She loves to travel, too. She spent time during her college years in London and visited Belgium, France, and Austria. More recently, she visited Ireland twice due to her husband’s job and has been to Italy and France. Spain is on her bucket list, and she has a particular fondness for Maui, Hawaii.

She thinks eventually she and her husband will move south, possibly Nevada or Southern California. She has a sister and brother-in-law who live in Las Vegas, so that may end up being the chosen destination.

“I’m a Southern California girl at heart, so warmth and sunshine are my preference,” she states.

At least SAV-ON gets the benefit of her sunny disposition for the near future.