When Matt Owens began his career with Reynolds in 2007, he entered the corporate world with two passions: teaching and theatre. Thanks to the support of the local performing arts community and – unexpectedly – several Reynolds colleagues throughout the years, he has continued to pursue both passions.

Though he doesn’t teach in a traditional K-12 classroom setting anymore, Owens has found that his love for teaching translates well to his role as Manager of the Internal Training Department based out of Reynolds’ corporate headquarters in Dayton, Ohio. Reynolds’ Internal Training Department is dedicated to helping associates grow throughout their careers, offering classes designed to help newly-hired associates acclimate to corporate life and training intended to sharpen tenured associates and management.

Directing has been a regular activity over the years for Owens, who holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communication and Theatre Arts from Saint Joseph’s College in Indiana, as well as a Master of Arts in Theatre from The Ohio State University. After college, he went on to teach theatre at Wayland Academy and the International School of Indiana before joining Reynolds.

“The first show I directed was in 1997. Back then, it was part of my daily life,” he said. “Coming to Reynolds, as long as I worked in a teaching position, I could shift theatre to the hobby side. Now, I try to direct or perform in at least one show per year.”

However, one thing that caught Owens by surprise was how many other Reynolds associates are active in the local theatre community. From Reynolds’ Marketing department to our Finance & Insurance teams, associates from across the company participate in a wide variety of extracurricular activities to relax and have fun outside of work.

“I’ve worked on shows with at least a dozen people over the years who worked at Reynolds. And I know there are many more associates who are active with other theatres in the area,” he said. “It’s so much fun to get to know a lot of other people around the area and make those connections.”

Working for Reynolds has helped Owens in his directing career in more ways than one. Not only does Owens connect with fellow associates over their common interests, but he has also been able to put skills honed at Reynolds into use throughout his directing career. Managing a full cast of performers and even more helpers backstage requires a lot of coordination and collaboration.

“It’s funny – I was just in a project management course here at Reynolds, and I’ve applied all of those skills getting ready for shows,” he said. “It takes very strong project management abilities, and I like being able to take other people’s specialized skills and highlight them. I’m always impressed with how much work people put in.”

And that collaboration with others is the thing Owens always gets excited about.

“It’s cool to hang out with the people I know and to meet new people and expand that circle,” he said. Owens’ passion for theatre and performing, coupled with his love for teaching, allows him to connect with people he might not normally interact with, both inside and outside the walls of Reynolds.