Lifestyle

Forgive Tina Seidenfeld if her mind is on other things besides work this week. The Best Buy employee’s son, Ian Seidenfeld, just won a gold medal at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.

Ian, a 20-year-old student at the University of Minnesota Carlson School of Business, represented the United States in table tennis. His father, Mitchell Seidenfeld — himself a former Paralympian gold medalist in table tennis — was on the sidelines as the coach of Team USA.

“There are no words to describe the feeling of how proud and excited I am for Ian and what he has done at the age of 20,” said Tina, a senior transportation analyst in parcel operations at Best Buy.

Chris LeGrady was having a tough time getting a job — that was until he found Best Buy. He got his blue shirt almost six years ago and, now a sales advisor at Store 251 in Glendale, Arizona, he hasn’t looked back.

And his journey has been far from typical.

At age 16, Chris suffered a stroke and accompanying brain injuries. After his recovery and a year in a vocational rehabilitation program, he found himself searching for work without much luck.

Last Friday was a big day for Katherine Brito, a homecoming of sorts. After 14 years rising through the ranks at Best Buy, she opened her first store as a general manager — and it’s in Riverdale, Bronx, right in the heart of her beloved community.  

Katherine is excited to bring the new store into her community, which she describes as a tight-knit and supportive group of people, many of whom are Spanish-speaking. Katherine, a proud Dominican American, was raised by her grandmother in Dyckman, near Riverdale, and still lives in the neighborhood today. 

“I’m here, and I’m [working] back home,” Katherine said.