DCTC Bookstore coordinator excels at her job
Bobbi Difronzo, 51, serves as the bookstore coordinator for the DCTC Bookstore at Dakota County Technical College. Bobbi started working at the college in 2015. She started her career in the Minnesota State system in 1987 as a student worker at Inver Hills Community College. She accepted a full-time position at Inver Hills in 1992 and worked at Inver until she was promoted to her current position at DCTC.
Bobbi has Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Business from Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota. She earned both an Associate of Arts (A.A.) with an Emphasis in Mathematics and an Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S.) in Business from Inver Hills.
Bobbi’s primary duties as bookstore coordinator include:
- Providing customer service
- Ordering merchandise
- Receiving and displaying merchandise
- Shipping and receiving textbooks
- Adding merchandise to the bookstore website
- Processing web orders
- Supervising day-to-day operations
“I rely greatly on Bobbi’s knowledge and experience. She is the de facto expert on the DCTC Bookstore inventory and POS systems, and is relied upon not only by me, but also other employees and even other stores using the MBS system.
“After well over 20 years of combined experience at the DCTC and IHCC bookstores, her expertise is so valuable. In addition, Bobbi’s reliability and dependability are paramount with a small DCTC Bookstore staff.
“During the pandemic, the DCTC Bookstore pivoted from processing 22 percent of its textbook orders online during spring of 2020 to filling 69 percent of its orders online in spring term 2021 (1,584 total books).
“Thanks to her organizational skills, Bobbi managed this entire conversion effectively—even with a small staff. In addition, with no food service on campus during COVID, Bobbi has responded well to an increased demand for lunch items on campus. She has been agile in effectively adapting to the changing needs of the campus!”
David Schlosser
Auxiliary Services Director
Dakota County Technical College
Inver Hills Community College
More about Bobbi…
Originally from Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota, Bobbi graduated from Simley High School, Class of 1987. She has two children, a son, Shawn, 18, a senior at DCALS, and a daughter, Erin, 16, a sophomore at Simley.
In her free time, Bobbi enjoys spending time with family and friends, working on jigsaw puzzles with her mom and daughter, and watching sports. She is a fan of the Minnesota Vikings, Minnesota Whitecaps, Minnesota Wild and Chicago Cubs. She also enjoys watching occasional college hockey and football games. Bobbi resides with her family in Inver Grove Heights.
Bobbi family gallery
One word that best describes your time at DCTC:
PRODUCTIVE¹
¹ We have made a lot of changes and improvements since I have been here.
Bobbi Difronzo • Q & A
What do you like most about your job at DCTC?
Interaction with students and customers and how friendly and welcoming the staff was when I started here. I have found that most faculty and staff on campus are very easy to work with.
Why did you choose the retail sector as your career field?
More for the business aspect, rather than the retail piece. I’m the oddball that enjoys crunching numbers and analyzing reports. It helps with the challenge of determining what and how many to order, and hopefully we see the victory with higher sales and great sell-thru numbers.
How has the COVID-19 pandemic impacted your life on the job?
We see fewer students on campus, and definitely have dryer hands with all of the added cleaning protocols.
Four words that describe you as a business professional:
FISCALLY RESPONSIBLE. DETAIL-ORIENTED. ANALYTICAL.
What are the most challenging and rewarding aspects of your job?
One thing that can be both challenging and rewarding is getting people to understand “the why” of our procedures. Also, having new students every year can be a challenge when placing early orders; but once they are on campus and we get to know them, we have the opportunity to order new items that they have requested. Our customers appreciate the extra effort, which can be very rewarding.
What is one thing every retail professional needs to know?
The customer is not always right, but you still have to listen and respect their concerns. The solution is there, you just have to find it.
What person has influenced you the most in life?
I’ve had a few teachers and a boss or two that have definitely influenced my journey. But really most people in my personal and work life, good or bad, have helped to create who I am and lead me down this path.
Where do you see yourself in 20 years?
On the porch of a cabin enjoying the outdoors.
Bobbi Difronzo • 12 Answers
- Favorite sport or physical activity: Indoors: bowling | Outdoors: sightseeing
Place you would most like to visit: Wrigley Field- The most exciting thing you’ve ever done: I met Mark Grace and got his autograph.
- Three things you would do if you won a $1 billion lottery: 1) Put some away for me and my family 2) Buy a cabin in the woods 3) Donate to St. Jude and other children’s charities
- Favorite TV shows you’re watching now: Yellowstone, 9-1-1: Lone Star or Hallmark Movies & Mysteries
- Best movie you’ve seen lately: The Breakfast Club or Shawshank Redemption
- One thing you most want to accomplish in life: To be debt free, but if I’m winning a $1 billion lottery, I won’t have to think about that. So, instead I will say to see my kids grow up and do something they enjoy.
Your national bird if you were your own country: Woodpecker or bluebird- Dream occupation: Baseball or hockey player
- Person you would most like to meet: Ryne Sandberg or George Strait
- Skill you would most like to learn and master: Construction and crocheting a blanket
- Most important issue or problem facing humankind: It seems like whenever I hear this question, the most common answer is climate change or global warming, but I think we are currently more threatened by each other. So I am going to say the biggest issue is the lack of respect for other people and their beliefs.
Learn more about the DCTC Bookstore by contacting:
David Schlosser
Auxiliary Services Director
Bookstores, Copy/Print Services,
Mailing/Receiving, Dining/Vending
Dakota County Technical College
651-423-8317
