Benchmark’s Best: Patricia Mapes, Project Manager

We are thrilled to celebrate Patricia Mapes, Project Manager, as our next employee featured as “Benchmark’s Best.” Patricia, known as Trish, has been a vital part of our CashWare department, not only in her dedication to solving problems but also in her depth of experience. Benchmark is lucky to have Trish on our team because of her extensive knowledge she gained in her past experiences.

What do you do in your job?
Trish provides support to customers and financial institutions that use Benchmark’s CashWare application. She provides onsite and remote CashWare installation and training. She also assists in CashWare development and Q&A testing, help desk support and cash handling equipment maintenance. In summation, she can answer just about any question related to CashWare or cash handling equipment!

Previous Experience
Trish has an Associate’s Degree in Electronics that led to two options for her: working on circuit boards or banking equipment. She chose to pursue banking in electronics and started with DaLaRue, which was owned by LeFebure at the time. She initially focused on physical security for banking, which included breaking into vaults, Teller Cash Dispensers (TCD) and other measures to ensure security of banking equipment. Her understanding of TCDs led to working in the field as a service technician Glory, a well-known TCD manufacturer. While working for Glory, Trish won the prestigious award of North American Technician of the Year 2009-2010.

Over the years as a field technician, she would often hear from Benchmark’s Joey Jackson, the VP of Cash Automation, for service on some in-house Glory devices used for demo and testing purposes. Benchmark was very impressed with her skills and knowledge and offered her a position on the CashWare team, and she accepted. We are so proud to have Trish as a member of the Benchmark team!  

How long has Trish worked for Benchmark?
Trish worked alongside Benchmark for years as a field technician when she was employed by Glory, and she officially joined the Benchmark CashWare team over four years ago. She expressed how she sees Benchmark as a family and not just an employer. Her time at Benchmark is truly a family affair with one of her sons, Justin Mapes, working as a Service Technician in the Repair Services department as well!

Success Story
Trish has a unique perspective when helping with CashWare-related questions. She is often presented with questions that have little to do with the software and are more hardware oriented. Benchmark operates as a full-service help desk so even if there are problems that don’t involve the software, Benchmark is dedicated to reaching out to the right people to provide the best solutions. Trish has been the key to solving some of these combination software and hardware problems. She has the experience and knowledge of both the hardware and the software. Bridging the gap between hardware and software makes Trish a valuable asset to customers and their support needs. She integrates previous knowledge to ensure you have the best support possible.

Hobbies outside of work?
These days, Trish has been practicing social distancing, but she doesn’t need to leave the house for much fun. She loves spending time with her five grandchildren. Three of her grandkids live in the area and she has a blast with them. She also enjoys riding her motorcycle with her husband Adam.

Favorite Food?
Trish loves a home cooked meal. Actually, more grilled than cooked. Her favorite food is lobster grilled at home!

​What are you watching these days?
​Trish noted that she doesn’t stream very much. She prefers cable to streaming. Currently she is a big fan of all of NBC’s Chicago series. This includes Chicago Fire, Chicago P.D. and Chicago Med. She first was interested in the series when she recognized Jesse Spencer from FOX’s House on Chicago Fire. This solidified her interest and has been hooked ever since.