For some, a great way to start the day could be watching the sun rise or sipping a perfect cup of coffee. But for Shelby Norton, it’s all about family.
“Morning started out great with my dad presenting my badge to me,” he posted on social media with a photo of himself and his dad, Jim.
As is customary for many badge ceremonies, there was an element of surprise for Shelby, a Home Theater Agent in USO 1804 in Oklahoma. His supervisor, John Holbrook, set up the event for him and a few other Cadets and Agents in March. It was during a regular team meeting and, at first, it was business as usual.
“Then, John proceeded to have the badge ceremony by handing badges to everyone else,” Shelby said. “And then he said ‘Oops! Almost forgot!’ and told me to look at the door. And there was my dad.”
Jim, a longtime Best Buy employee who works as a trainer in Best Buy Customer Care, also holds Badge 44002 and knew he wanted to be there when his son got the honor.
“I had messaged Shelby’s leader, John, to see when they were having it and if I could be present,” Jim said. “It was amazing being able to hand him the Geek Squad badge. I knew that it meant a lot to me when I received it, and I was so proud to be able to present to my son.”
Shelby called his dad’s involvement “the icing on top” of the accomplishment.
“Since I’ve been with this wonderful company, I have realized that we are all just one big family,” Shelby said. “I have never felt that way about any place of employment. The opportunities that have presented themselves are something I wouldn’t have thought imaginable.”
Family ties
Despite both Nortons working at Best Buy, they don’t get to spend as much time together as they’d like to. (When they do, there’s often a burger involved, Jim said.)
But there are lots of things that keep them connected. Among them is Jim’s tenure and the relationships he has built over the years.
“My father worked as a TV repair Agent for a number of years before his current role with the company,” Shelby said. “I still hear from fellow repair Agents all the stories and times they got helped by my dad.”
When asked if there are any other Agent Nortons on the horizon, Jim replied: “Nope! But give it about 17 years and my grandson Stetson may become one.”