The entry deadline for the 2022 National Reining Horse Association Futurity is today, October
1, 2022, and the show will be kicking off on November 24 which is Thanksgiving Day. With
over 651 Futurity entries received so far and ancillary entries still to come, employees at Pro
Management have been working hard to help the NRHA pull off another historical event.
With new and elevated guaranteed payouts in more levels of the Futurity, it is sure to be
another record-breaker. Keep reading to track the progress of Futurity entries through the Pro
Management Office.
Brent Walck (Mailman)
Brent Walck has been serving the Pro Management office for more than 24 years. He delivers the mail directly to the desk from which it will begin its journey through the office to ensure that no malady befalls it out in some remote mailbox. Rain, sleet, snow, or shine, Brent keeps your USPS delivery safe until it arrives on Jovonna White’s desk, and he always does it with a kind word and a smile.
“Pro Management is one of my favorite stops. They are always friendly and smiling, and they usually have a cold bottle of water and some good snacks to share. The popcorn on Fridays is especially good!” Brent
added. “I like that they still send lots of mail, too. So many have moved to email.”
Jovonna White
Jovonna White retired from the Farm Service Agency before taking up part-time employment with Pro Management to help get through an especially busy spell. She enjoyed her time so much and fit in so well, she has now been a part of the team for two years. Her previous career more than
prepared her for processing entries. Futurity entries begin their transformation from sealed envelopes to a confirmed spot in Oklahoma City at her desk.
Jovonna appreciates the values that the office is run on. She said, “Accuracy is important in our office, and we always strive to provide the best customer service possible.”
Jovonna opens the mail, makes a copy of the payment method, and enters the information exhibitors can see on the Entries Received sheet on the NRHA Futurity website. She also checks to be sure horses have been nominated, puts everything in a folder, and passes it on to the next phase of its journey.
Jody Davis
Recently married, Jody Davis is the youngest member of the team, but she more than makes up for her lack of years with reliability and accuracy. She gives “Millennials” a good name and is the go-to for all
questions concerning entries.
“Our goal is to make the paperwork go as easy as possible so exhibitors can focus on doing what they love: showing horses,” she said. “If everything is in order before you arrive, the check-in process at the show goes a lot smoother.”
Entries spend the most amount of time with Jody. She checks each horse’s and rider’s eligibility as the Rider Designation Forms come in and enters the horse and rider information into the horse show program.
The horse show program assigns a back number and Jody prints a label for the folder that Jovonna prepared to make it easier to find before she sends it back to her to file. Meanwhile, the payment method is handed over to Kristen Simons.
Kristen Simons
Kristen Simon’s desire to learn and adherence to accuracy has made her a valuable member of the team. Her background, which includes growing up on an Arizona horse ranch and working for both veterinarians and in the medical field, prepared her well for her role at Pro Management.
Her position in bookkeeping means that she posts the payment. She deposits checks and also runs credit
cards, which gives her the uncomfortable job of occasionally calling clients to let them know that the credit card payment failed.
“The enjoyment of the job comes, not only from the work in the office but especially at the events where the excitement comes alive with the hustle and bustle of the show,” Kristen said with a smile. “There is never a dull moment, but it is all well worth the challenges when I am privileged to finally meet the owners, riders, and horses that we’ve worked so hard to keep things squared away for.”
Cheri Johnson
A Pro Management employee for 16 years, Cheri leads the bookkeeping section of the office and is the longest-standing employee of Pro Management. She assists Kristen with the financial processes such as posting payments, depositing checks, and running credit cards.
She also sends invoices as necessary, and in addition, after the show has ended, she balances the books to ensure that everything adds up properly. She receives stabling requests and RV forms and keeps multiple online spreadsheets current with their information.
“We have been doing this for a long time now, so we have gotten to where our process works like a well-oiled machine,” she said. “There are so many parts, and everyone has a part, so if someone misses something, another person will usually catch it. It’s nice that everyone has each other’s backs.”
After the initial entry is made in January, individual payments take a similar path. Jovonna marks the payment as received on the online Entries Received spreadsheet, then passes the payment to Jody to enter into the horse show program. She then, sends the payment to Kristin to be fully processed.
In addition to all the work for the Futurity, Pro Management is also taking entries for the SWRHA Futurity and Horse Show during this time. As a matter of fact, the SWRHA entry deadline falls on the same day as the final Futurity payment deadline.
Through it all, the team works together and stays focused on creating as seamless an experience at the NRHA Futurity as possible.