Where Are They Now?

When Stacie Hall was in high school, it was popular for people to install special stereos in their vehicles so they could have louder, better quality audio than the speakers that came with the car or truck. With no prior experience, Hall decided to install her own. “After that, people were like, ‘Do mine next!’” and I just started doing it for everybody,” she said. “It became a little hobby.”

That experience is a good example of how Hall goes about her life — if there’s something she wants to do, she just does it with no hesitation. It’s served her well through her career, whether she was working at a dry cleaning shop, bartending, or fixing phones.

During high school, Hall worked at Comet Cleaners in Dublin, and when she graduated from Dublin High School in 200, she found a job at the Dry Cleaning Super Center in Stephenville. “The owner there had heard of me and he needed a manager, so he hired me there for more money,” she said.

At the Dry Cleaning Super Center, Hall oversaw 15 employees working on the variousdrycleaningmachines, performed machine maintenance, and made sure customers were happy with their cleaning. She also bonded with her coworkers, who taught her to speak Spanish.

Hall worked at the cleaners for eight years, until the business closed. Her next job was as a bartender at Par Country Club near Proctor Lake. “It was so much fun,” she said. “We got to play golf and we got to drive around a little golf cart and go sell beer to the guys, and we would work the bar. They would have golf tournaments on the weekends so that’s when you made your big money, because everybody was out there relaxing and enjoying life.“ She worked her way up to manager of the bar, but after five years at the country club, Hall decided to try something new. “I’ve always been really into technology and machines and all that, and they had an opening at Verizon so I applied,” she said. “I started out as a sales rep and then they moved me up to repair tech and then manager.”

She enjoyed meeting the customers and getting to knowpeopleinthecommunity, and worked at Verizon for five years. “When COVID hit everything went to online sales, and we couldn’t have people come in so we could work on their phones,” she said. “I wasn’t making a lot of money.”

She decided to find a new job, and applied at Schreiber Foods in Stephenville. “My brother has worked out there for 15 years, and I knew that it was a really good place and a stable job,” she said. “And at the time they were pretty much the only place working, because when COVID hit everything shut down — restaurants, clothing, everything — but they were working like crazy at Schreiber.”

At Schreiber, Hall works as an auto caser. “Basically I use a machine to put the cheese in boxes,” she said. She works 12-hour days, typically on a rotating schedule. “Right now we’re so short-handed so I don’t rotate anymore,” she said. “I pretty much work seven days a week.”

The foods produced at Schreiber use local ingredients and end up on the shelves of local stores such as the Walmart in Stephenville. Hall enjoys the work. “It keeps me active, keeps me moving, keeps me doing good,” she said. “And I make good money so I can’t complain.”

She plans to stay at Schreiber for the foreseeable future. “They have good benefits and retirement, and at this age — I’m 40 now — that’s what I’m looking for,” she said. “And they have lots of jobs out there, so you can move around within the company.”

Hall still does phone repair work on the side. “I had developed a huge customer base at Verizon,” she said. “Even now I’ll go to Wal-Mart and see people who I have worked on their phones, and they’ll hit me up.”

She takes on clients with basic technology issues as well. “I had a lot of older customers that would come in and be like, ‘My Facebook is acting up,’ and I would help them too,” she said.

When she’s not working, Hall spends most of her free time with her eight-year-old niece Charlii. “She’s like the little sister I never had,” Hall said. “We have a lot of fun. We do everything together. We have a huge flower garden in our backyard and love to watch the hummingbirds visit our flowers, go to dinner and a movie and our favorite is taking cool road trips all over the state.”

Hall enjoys hiking with Charlii and Charlii’s mother (Hall’s sister) Ashley. “Ashley is the best at finding the absolute neatest things to do, so we try to go to new and exciting places as much as possible,” Hall said.

Hall lives in Dubin and has a boyfriend of two years, Patrick Salyer. Hall’s parents, Mike and Deb Hall, still live in Dublin as well.

Throughout her life, Hall has found inspiration in her grandmother Wilma Hall, who passed away last September. “She was a reporter for the Dublin Citizen, and she was always busy,” Hall said. “I remember as a kid going and chasing the fire trucks with her so she could get her story for the paper. She was always cooking and cleaning and doing with me the way I try to do with Charlii. She was the light of my life.”

Hall’s advice to future Dublin graduates is to appreciate their time in school. “Enjoy it and be involved in as much as you can,” she said. “You’ll miss it.” Editor’s Note: This column chronicles what Dublin graduates have done since high school. If you have any suggestions for other grads, email publisher@dublincitizen. com.