Ashley Deknes-Razevich
With 17 years of experience in customer service, operations, and manufacturing leadership, Ashley Deknes-Razevich has built a career focused on bridging the gap between customers and internal business functions. She began her professional journey in the injection molding industry, where she quickly moved into leadership roles overseeing customer service operations. From the start, she developed a reputation for clear communication, strong problem-solving skills, and the ability to keep both customers and internal teams aligned during complex, high-pressure situations.
Today, she serves in a management role at SOR Controls Group, where she leads a team of 8 to 10 professionals and works closely with executive leadership, including the VP of Finance and VP of Sales, to resolve customer-facing challenges and improve organizational communication. Her role sits at the intersection of operations, sales, finance, and customer experience, allowing her to identify process gaps, strengthen internal systems, and ensure that both customer expectations and operational realities are effectively balanced. She also collaborates directly with the company’s representative network, ensuring alignment across all touchpoints of the customer journey.
Now, Ashley is expanding her impact by launching Sunshine Consulting, a venture dedicated to helping organizations streamline processes and strengthen customer retention. Her focus is on helping businesses not only win customers but keep them by building stronger foundations for communication, accountability, and operational efficiency. She brings a practical, relationship-driven approach to consulting, grounded in the belief that long-term business success comes from consistently delivering value, strengthening trust across teams, and ensuring the customer experience is supported at every level of the organization.
• Johnson County Community College
Associate of Science - AS, Accounting
• Johnson County Community College
Associate of Arts - AA, Liberal Arts
• MCAA
• She Leads
• Open Gates
• New Horizons
What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to being inquisitive - I've always got questions. I also work really hard to understand both sides of the equation. Another key factor is keeping personal emotion out of it. Not everything needs an emotionally driven response. Sometimes it's just business, and being able to understand that keeps me from reacting to maybe an email that didn't come across correctly, or an issue that maybe was already resolved but somebody didn't push through the final result. Being able to step back and look at something rationally and address it rationally has been crucial. Holding firm boundaries is something else that's been important. I was really taught that we choose how we're treated by what we choose to accept, and so by holding a boundary of how I'm treated professionally has really helped my career in the sense that they know what I stand for and what, honestly, my responses will be before I even give them sometimes. It all started honestly in a restaurant, talking to people, getting to know the customers and know their stories, know what they want, what they drink - all of the things that just come from paying attention. The opportunity fell in my lap, and I climbed the ladder at that company for 15 years, working directly under the CEO next to the controller. It's about having a really good work ethic, being willing to take a chance, and willing to accept opportunities as they show up. I always say yes, because you never know what amazing things can come from it, even if it doesn't work out.
What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
My mentor, she was a controller for our company, and her husband had this really annoying saying called 'make the magic happen.' For a joke, he framed it for her as a poster, and she hung it in her office at our old company. We always would say that to each other, because when challenges would happen, she would always jokingly say, make the magic happen. When she retired, she gave me that poster, and it hangs above my desk at my position. I always look up at that when something happens, because there's always going to be challenges, but it's up to us to make the magic, to resolve it and get through it. The other thing that was told to me, that I have really, really taken to heart, is your experience is more valuable than you think. I don't have the bachelor's that I was hoping to get - just as my kids were growing, 3 young kids, I just couldn't get there financially - but the experience that I brought to the table has landed me careers and opportunities that I don't know that I would have otherwise had. The skills that you use every day can be the foundation to something bigger.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The values that are most important to me in both my work and personal life center around family, balance, passion, and meaningful connection. I value being present for my kids and intentionally making time for shared experiences with them. That includes simple but meaningful traditions like our “Explore KC Days,” where we discover new places in Kansas City together—whether it’s a museum, an exhibit, or a restaurant we’ve never tried before. Those moments of curiosity and togetherness matter deeply to me.
I also value working in environments that feel personal and authentic. I currently work at a family-run winery that I’ve been connected to for years through friendship, which makes the work especially meaningful to me. Outside of that, I have a strong passion for showing horses, which brings me a sense of discipline, joy, and fulfillment—even though I haven’t had the chance to compete yet this year. Overall, I’m driven by work and experiences that align with my interests, support strong relationships, and allow me to maintain a healthy balance between my personal passions and family life.