Why Budget Blinds of Harrisburg, Hershey, Carlisle

We're thrilled to welcome owner Mark Walsh to the Budget Blinds of Harrisburg, Hershey, and Carlisle family!

Mark is excited to share his handyman skills and commitment to customer satisfaction with our community. After years as a Technical Sales Manager and project manager in various industries, Mark is ready to apply his business expertise here at Budget Blinds. He's an expert problem solver and loves helping customers find the perfect window treatments for their homes.

As a native to the West Shore, Mark intimately knows the needs of customers in this area. After graduating from Lock Haven University with his Bachelor's in Computer Science, Mark settled in our community with his wife of 32 years and their two children. Their home is always full of animals, housing up to six dogs and two cats at any given time.

When Mark isn't busy in the showroom, he's likely home restoring his 1949 Willys Jeep. He has a passion for classic sports cars like his Alfa Romeo Spider. He also loves working outside, restoring his own home, and inventing new contraptions.

Let's give Mark a warm welcome. Stop in today and say hello!

Today, we're thrilled to introduce you to a wonderful member of our Budget Blinds family - Lisa Walsh! Lisa joined our team on February 2nd, 2023, as our dedicated Office Manager, bringing with her a wealth of expertise and a heartwarming passion for customer service.

With an impressive background in accounting and over 35 years of experience in payroll, Lisa is a true financial whiz. But what sets her apart is her genuine love for our customers. Her goal? Ensuring every client leaves with window coverings that make their hearts sing.

While Lisa didn't grow up in our service area, she's been a Central, PA, resident since 1980. When she's not at the office, you can find her tending to her bountiful garden, where veggies and flowers flourish, or satisfying her wanderlust with exciting travels.

Lisa's personal life is just as rich as her professional one. She's been married to Mark since 1989 and has two amazing adult children. Their four beloved pets, Zelena and Liath (the welcoming committee at our showroom), along with two wise 13-year-old cats, complete their lively household.

In 2019, Lisa achieved a significant milestone by graduating from SNHU with a degree in Accounting, a testament to her lifelong commitment to learning.

Though she didn't serve in the armed forces, her father's Navy background instilled values of dedication and excellence that she brings to our team every day.

Let's give Lisa a warm welcome and a round of applause for her dedication to making every customer's experience exceptional!

Today we are shining the spotlight on one of our exceptional team members - Becka Sweeney! Becka has been an invaluable part of our Budget Blinds family since June 1st, 2022, and her talents as a Design Consultant have been nothing short of extraordinary.

Becka brings a unique skill set to our team, with a deep passion for color theory and matching. She loves working closely with customers who are seeking soft treatments or looking for that perfect color scheme to transform their spaces. Whether it's letting in a flood of natural light or creating the perfect ambiance with light-blocking treatments, Becka takes pride in making each room a true reflection of her customers' desires.

While she didn't grow up in our service area, Becka has become well-acquainted with the Harrisburg, Hershey, and Carlisle regions over the years, having worked and explored extensively in the region.

In her free time, Becka is an avid reader with an impressive collection of books. She also cherishes outdoor adventures, from camping trips with friends to kayaking along the scenic Swatara Creek and Yellow Breeches.

Adding a touch of feline flair to her life, Becka is a proud cat parent to T.S. Eliot, who chose her as his forever human.

Becka's academic journey is impressive as well, with a background in Psychology and a minor in Speech and Language Pathology earned at Pitt and Messiah College.

Welcome to Budget Blinds of Harrisburg, Hershey, and Carlisle! At our location, we love recognizing all the amazing team members who make this such a special place—and that’s why we’re taking this opportunity to shout out to Gladys Orozco!

Gladys is our Showroom Receptionist, a role that she took on in July of this year. Just wait till you meet her—she truly brings something special to our branch! Gladys is bilingual in both Spanish and English, and she’s also learning French—handy skills to have in this customer-facing role. She also tells us that she loves the environment here at our Harrisburg office.

On top of that, Gladys has a degree in ESL teaching from the University of Guadalajara, Mexico, making her a language expert. She’s also quite familiar with the local culture, too. While Gladys grew up in Wisconsin, she’s been living in Harrisburg for the past five years.

But it’s not all about work! When Gladys isn’t here with us, you can find her spending time with her daughter, Aria. She also loves to bake, and she’s a big reader who enjoys collecting books.

Join us in giving Gladys a warm welcome! She’s a wonderful addition to our team!

We’ve added a lot of great new staff members to our team this year here at Budget Blinds of Harrisburg, Hershey, and Carlisle—and we’re taking some time to give each one a shout-out! Today, we’re celebrating Jacki Basile, who is one of our fabulous Designers.

Jacki got started with us in July of this year, and she brings so much to our team! She tells us that she loves to help add style to our clients’ homes. And it’s no wonder—she brings more than 30 years of experience in designing custom window treatments to the table.

It’s no surprise that outside of work, one of Jacki’s biggest passions is designing. She also loves cooking and landscaping, too. Plus, Jacki is a native of the area. She grew up in Lehigh Valley and Jim Thorpe, and she’s lived locally in Jonestown for five years.

Jacki also has a lot of loved ones that she enjoys spending time with. She’s engaged—for which we congratulate her—and she has a son, granddaughter, and two cats, Oscar and D.

Join us in celebrating everything Jacki brings to our Budget Blinds location! She’s been an amazing addition to our team—and you’re going to love working with her!

Here at Budget Blinds of Harrisburg, Hershey, and Carlisle, we’re making a point to point out all of our fantastic team members in celebration of everything they do for our clients and within our community! That’s why we’re taking a moment to highlight MJ Jan, who is a Showroom Receptionist for us, and who also serves as an Office Support staffer.

MJ got her start with us at the end of May this year—and one of her favorite things so far is how much she enjoys working in our friendly, family-oriented environment. She always comes in to work with a smile on her face and a friendly attitude. In the past, she worked as a social worker, which means that she loves meeting new people and talking to customers.

Speaking of social work, that’s where her education lies, too. She attended Messiah University, graduating with a degree in this field.

And when MJ isn’t at work? You can find her at home snuggling with her dog and cat. In fact, animals are a passion, and she often rescues stray cats and dogs. She also enjoys reading, writing, and traveling, plus she has a bit of a green thumb, too.

MJ is also a longtime native of the area. From age five, she grew up in the Harrisburg area, and she went to college in Mechanicsburg.

Next time you stop in, if MJ is working on the showroom floor, be sure to say hello—and she’ll greet you with one of her signature smiles!

This year, we’ve added a few new smiling faces to the team here at Budget Blinds of Harrisburg, Hershey, and Carlisle. Kelly Smethurst is one of them—and we’re going to spend a minute celebrating all the great things he does, both here at work, and outside of work, too.

Kelly is one of our Installers, a position he took on in July of this year. It’s a great fit for him, considering that he brings us ten years of experience in construction and management. Even better, he loves new challenges and problems to solve, which is perfect since each home is unique.

And what about when Kelly isn’t installing blinds and window treatments for our clients? In that case, he has a big love of golf, which means there’s a fair chance that you can find him teeing off at a local golf course.

Kelly is also a Harrisburg native. He's made this area his home for the past four years—and we’re so happy to have him! You’ll enjoy working with him, too. Just give us a call for custom blinds and window treatments, and you may end up lucky enough to have Kelly install them for you!