Most Americans will have at least one job working in retail in their lives. “Six in ten Americans have worked a retail job, and nearly a third (32 percent) of all first jobs were in retail.” - National Retail Federation

Chris Salter, Director of Quality Assurance at MSS, was ready for a job outside of the retail industry, and has found a 16-year career with MSS.

This is part of a series of interviews with MSS staff. Stay tuned for additional interviews to be released soon!

If you’re looking for a great career with a talented team of dedicated professionals, check out our current openings.

Question: How long have you worked for MSS?

Chris Salter: 16 years!

Q: What roles have you had at MSS?

CS: I started as a Direct Support Professional (DSP) at our no-longer-existent Burnsville location (later it became Apple Valley), then I was a Service Coordinator (2 years), and Program Supervisor (7 years), at our Eagan location. Then I worked as Program Director at Eagan and Brooklyn Park for a few years. I've been in the Director of Quality Assurance role for about 3 1/2 years.

Q: What first interested you in working for MSS? How did you hear about the opening?

CS: I was about a year out of college and sick of working retail jobs where I didn't feel like I was doing anything to improve our world. I had volunteered in my school's special education department in junior high and high school and always had a passion for working with individuals with disabilities. I think I saw the DSP job opening in the paper and interviewed with Michelle Dickerson (when she was a Program Director).

Q: What is your current role and what duties does it include?

CS: My current role is the Director of Quality Assurance. The core function is to make sure that MSS stays in compliance with all of the different ways we are regulated, so I pay attention to our policies, forms, and practices. I pay attention to how staff at our various locations innovate their practices and I try to identify and champion best practices. I stay on top of legislative changes and try to "decomplicate" technical language so we understand what the actual impact is. This role was created as a result of work done in MSS' previous Strategic Plan. In addition, I am responsible for much of the technology at MSS and I oversee our contracted IT staff. I also supervise our Communications Manager and have a role in reviewing many communications before they are sent out.

Q: What jobs did you have before working at MSS?

CS: I worked in a group home in college. Besides that, I've had lots of retail jobs, my longest being a shipping and receiving manager at Barnes and Noble. I spent some time teaching guitar as well.

Q: What do you like most about working for MSS?

CS: I like that it's never boring - the nature of the work and the constant changes in our industry means that there is always some big thing happening that I get to help with. I like feeling useful to people that may need me as a resource. I like finding opportunities to work on projects with talented people that I get to see grow into the next level of leadership at MSS. I love that we have a strong tendency to promote from within our organization. Finally, I like knowing that the work done at MSS has a significant positive impact on the people we support.

Q: What has surprised you most about working at MSS?

CS: When I applied at MSS, I was just looking for my next "job", albeit one with more fulfillment than retail. I didn't expect it to become a long career where I felt deeply valued and useful in multiple roles.

Q: What would you tell someone who may be interested in applying to work at MSS?

CS: I would say that it's a great organization. I think one of our greatest strengths is our application of person-centered practices to our staff, and not just the people in our programs. We seek out what makes people happy and passionate and we try to build in opportunities in their job for them to do those things. 

If you’re ready to join the MSS team, click here to view our current job openings and submit your application today!