MC grad uses her “people” skills for career successAugust 12, 2020

“My parents had 19 children, and I was number 18,” Evie Gandy said.  “Even though only 13 of us survived, there were always a lot of people around the house.  I guess that’s why I’m a ‘people’ person.  I love customer service!”

Almost 24 years ago, Evie’s affinity for customer service landed her a job at The Bosworth Company as a receptionist, a position she held for over 20 years until her promotion two years ago as Director of First Impressions/Marketing/PR.

“The title Director of First Impressions was a new title at Bosworth,” Evie explained.  “My boss wanted to convey the importance that first impressions make on customers.  It suits me and fits my personality.  My goal is to help people and make sure that they trust Bosworth and its subsidiaries.”

Not only does Evie handle marketing and public relations for The Bosworth Company in Midland and Kerrville, but also serves subsidiary companies including Roto Rooter, The Darville Company, Trenchless Replacement Specialists and City Plumbing. 

“Bosworth is a great company,” Evie said.  “It’s not uncommon for employees to work there 30 years or more.  I was a single mother for 10 years, and Corky Bosworth was like a second father to me. Ron Ainsworth has been like a mentor to me, and I highly respect them for what I have learned throughout the years.  They helped me with car repairs, home repairs and, of course, air conditioning and plumbing trouble—everything a single mom suddenly finds herself having to deal with after a divorce.  Throughout the years, other companies have called trying to recruit me as a receptionist, but I’m committed to Bosworth.  They take good care of me, and I love what I do.”

Evie was born in Guadalajara, Mexico.  When she was 3, her family moved to Santa Anna in Orange County, California.  Her father was employed by a company that built transformers for airplanes.  When he retired, Evie was 11, and she moved back to Guadalajara with her parents. 

“I don’t remember much about living in Guadalajara before I was 3, but I do remember it as a teenager when we moved back,” Gandy recalled.  “We didn’t have electricity or running water after moving to my grandfather’s farm.  I remember helping my mom wash clothes on a big rock by the river. We cooked in an open fire and ate fresh organic milk, eggs, fruits and vegetables, which was an incredible experience. Going to school in the small town was only temporary; I missed a huge part of my education growing up as a teenager.”

When Evie was 17, the family relocated once again to the United States—this time in Odessa.  Gandy enrolled in Permian High School and had to begin at the 10th-grade level, which meant she didn’t graduate from high school until 1991 when she was 21.

During her senior high school year, Evie taught 4- and 5-year-olds at a Montessori school in Odessa and thought she wanted to be a bilingual elementary school teacher.  After a divorce from her first husband, Gandy realized that her dreams of going back to college would have to be put on hold, because she now had to work full-time and raise her small son and daughter. 

In 1997, Evie started working for The Bosworth Company, and in 2011, she married her current husband Morgan Gandy.  The blended family consists of Evie’s 26-year-old son Nick, her 21-year-old daughter Natalie and Morgan’s 13-year-old son Maddox. 

“When Natalie was a senior in high school, I told Morgan that I had always wanted to go back to college,” Evie explained.  “However, Natalie was about to be in college, and we still had Maddox to put through school.  We just couldn’t afford it, so we prayed about it.”

“To my surprise, in the spring of 2016, I got a call from Dennis Sever [Midland College retired vice president of Information Technology & Facilities].  Dennis is a Bosworth customer and somehow heard that I wanted to go back to school.  He told me about the college’s Bill Pace Cogdell Scholarship, which pays 100 percent of ALL expenses.  I couldn’t believe it!  I called my husband in tears, and I think he started crying, also.  That fall, I started taking classes at Midland College.”

This past May, Evie graduated with an Associate of Arts degree.  In a few days, she will begin working toward a bachelor’s degree in Classical & Modern Languages at the University of Texas, Permian Basin (UTPB). Thankfully, the Bill Pace Cogdell Scholarship will continue to pay for her scholastic expenses. 

“I feel truly blessed,” Evie said.  “Two years ago, when Bosworth promoted me to my current position, I told them that I had just started working toward a degree.  They had enough faith in me to know that I would continue to work hard for them and finish my degree.”

Evie’s son Nick currently serves as a corpsman in the U.S. Navy at Camp Lejeune in Jacksonville, NC and will soon start working toward a bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science.  Her daughter Natalie is also a Midland College graduate and is beginning her first year in medical school at Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine in Fort Worth.

Evie Gandy is an 18-year member of Midland Uptown Business & Professional Women and a member of Desk & Derrick.  She teaches Sunday School to 3rd-6th graders at Presence Church.

Evie also enjoys staying active.  For the past six years, she and Morgan have been avid participants in CrossFit with Fit For The Cross, and the family enjoys outdoor activities—camping, hiking, bike riding, four-wheeling, snorkeling and scuba diving.  Their favorite places to hike are the Fort Davis and Big Bend areas, Palo Duro Canyon and the Guadalupe Mountains.  To celebrate Natalie’s high school senior trip, the family traveled to Cozumel last year where they were able to practice their snorkeling and scuba diving skills.

“I’m over 50, but still feel like there is a lot of life left, and God continues to be so good to me,” Evie said.  “My route has been a little different than most, but all the great experiences I’ve had made me the person I am today.  I am so thankful for the opportunity to go to Midland College.  Now I’m looking forward to continuing my studies at UTPB.”

Photo:  Evie Gandy and her family vacationing in Cozumel, summer 2019.  Pictured from left to right are Maddox Gandy, Natalie Adams, Evie Gandy, Morgan Gandy and Nick Adams.