There’s a lot more to Action Property Management than just property management. Like countless companies spread across the globe, Action is made up of people who make or break the business everyday. As Lead Payroll Administrator, Erin Ramsey isn’t on the front lines. Her contributions to the company are never directly seen in the board room of a high-rise or on the streets of a local community. What she does, however, sends ripple effects throughout the company, touching every employee each time they see a paycheck.
Working for Action has been the perfect step on her professional journey, allowing Erin to maintain a healthy work/life balance that involves pursing passions beyond the walls of her office. Though much of her time involves work, there is more to her than just paychecks.
Prior to joining the Action team seven years ago, Erin got her start in human resources working for a publisher of pet magazines. As an animal lover, she enjoyed the job and even felt like she was working for a celebrity publication. It was in this environment where she first realized her true passion was not in the field of human resources and payroll processing, but in something else altogether — something she could do after hours.
Recalling the day she first saw a hamster cage in the office at the pet publishing company, Erin had no idea she was about to embark on something so new and so big. The innocent observation that day sparked a passion that continues to this day.
Seeing the cage prompted Erin to start researching hamsters and their environments. Three days later, Erin had her first hamster. Soon after that, she and some coworkers learned about a hamster show that was taking place down the street. Given that they worked for a pet publication, it made sense for some of the team to investigate the event. Erin joined them and learned more about her new pet. While at the show, she met a woman who appeared cranky on the outside but was filled with a passion for hamsters on the inside.
Erin instantly connected with the woman and soaked up everything she had to offer. Most notably, she spoke of genetics and a strong passion to prevent people from purchasing animals from pet stores. This intrigued Erin as she dove even deeper into the subject.
Erin Ramsey
”Working for Action has been the perfect step on her professional journey, allowing Erin to maintain a healthy work/life balance that involves pursing passions beyond the walls of her office.
Eventually Erin and a friend were presented with the opportunity to take over the California Hamster Association. Given her background working with animal rescues, it took a while for Erin to learn the place that ethical breeding practices have in society. As she studied, she learned more, eventually finding her own niche. Maintaining a full time job with the publishing company and running her own hamstery, Cheeks and Squeaks Hamsters, along with overseeing the California Hamster Association, proved to be time consuming but worth it. With a passion for education, Erin shared what she was learning by publishing guidelines for ethical hamster care, attending expos, and speaking to schools.
Now a well-known ethical breeder herself, Erin has about 200 people on a waiting list to adopt one of her hamsters. Like Action, her reputation as a breeder has been built on a set of solid values that steer her through the process everyday. From their living environment to diet and human interaction, every detail of her hamsters’ lives is marked by careful thought for what’s best for the animal.
Shortly after she took over the hamster association, Erin was contacted by a film producer in Hollywood who wanted to make a documentary about her and her hamsters. In keeping with her dedication to education, she agreed and stepped into a new world in front of a camera. After seven years of gathering footage for the film, the crew finally followed Erin and a friend to England where they attended a hamster show that was a step up from what they were used to in California. What really struck her at this show was that everyone was competing to win. The participants would breed several hamsters and only show the ones that were the most competitive.
While she couldn’t fault the passion she witnessed at the show, her own passion just wasn’t the same. The experience in England was impactful and served to solidify her commitment to educating others about the best care for these small animals.
The movie, Hamstar is now complete. While it hasn’t made it to the big screen yet, it will soon play at several film festivals and may one day be picked up for wider distribution.
Whether the movie ever appeals to a broader audience or not, Erin enjoyed the role she played in making it. Her passion for hamsters remains unwavering, working to teach others how they can provide the best care for their furry, little friends.
In her role as payroll administrator, Erin sees her job as providing a much needed resource for the employees of Action. As an ethical hamster breeder, she provides much needed resources for her animals and for those who want to learn more about them. Both of these roles have value for her and for the people around her. For a professional like Erin, there can be nothing more fulfilling.
