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Why I'm Leaving a Job I Love

Heather has worked in government for the last fifteen years
and as the Mesa County Sheriff's Office Communication Manager
and Public Information Officer (PIO) for the last eight and a half years.
In 2015, she received statewide recognition as PIO of the Year. "Professional career change" sounds nothing like having a baby, but it certainly feels a lot like becoming a new mother: The anticipation of "the day" that feels like it will never arrive. All the kind words, encouragements, and congratulations.


Staying the course with the analogy, I anticipate the first day to be slightly anticlimactic. The long wait has ended and the new desk is in place, waiting for me to break it in with coffee spills.

My first day, February 1, is right around the corner. Almost there.

A few days ago, I did something I thought I might never do: announce to the public that I am transitioning out of the public sector as Communication Manager and Public Information Officer for the Mesa County Sheriff’s Office and stepping into the private sector as Chief Operating Officer of Hoptocopter™ Films. For the last eight and a half years, I have enjoyed working in a field that has allowed me to truly help people and make a marked difference in our community. My career as Public Information Officer has been an exciting time for me, every day different from the day before. Stable. Secure.

So why leave?

A few months ago, Hoptocopter™ Films Owner Seth Schaeffer approached me with an offer to join the team as Chief Operating Officer. I enjoy a challenge, thrive on productivity, and strive to streamline communication—all characteristics Seth mentioned could help take Hoptocopter™ Films to the next level.

It's all about people

Seth and his team have built a business whose superb reputation is due to excellence in both the final product crafting as well as in the customized experience for its clientele. But what continues to impress me is their investment in people. Seth recently told a crowd of LAUNCH WestCo attendees that he chooses employees through timing, networking, and enhancement to his business. They don’t advertise for employment, and employees are viewed neither as corks to plug up leaky holes in the business nor merely skill sets to check off the small business characteristic’s list. This isn't a script for a B movie; this is a high-end product crafted by a visionary who has and is building a team to launch continued success.

That stole my professional heart.


Turn the page. I'm coming to the final bittersweet paragraph in My Life at the Mesa County Sheriff's Office, a book that has been nothing short of a blessing for my family and I.  But like a great piece of dark chocolate, you savor it for what it is and then get on to that glass of red wine. They go beautifully together. One followed by the other. The birth of a new professional child is about to arrive for me, and I'm anxious for it, to get started, to find the sweet spot in my new role at Hoptocopter™ Films.