Amber Guth has a passion and a vision for Lewis County. That passion is connecting youth with local businesses to help young adults work ready for when they enter the workforce. Amber is originally from Lewis County and graduated from W.F. West High School.
Amber’s passion for mentoring high school aged kids comes from her own experiences. In high school she worked through Chehalis Youth Services originally as a cashier at the Chehalis Community Pool. When the season ended and Amber was looking at losing her job, her supervisor Lilly Wall, connected Amber with odd jobs to keep her busy and employed throughout the winter. Amber shares that included everything from supervising open gym to facilitating games.
Today, Amber credits many of her successes to Lilly. “She mentored me as a mom and a worker,” Amber explains. “She showed me what it means to care for someone that you don’t have to. She didn’t have any reason to do what she did. She just did it because she has a big heart.”
It is Amber’s experience and gratitude for all Lilly did, during her formative high school years, that has ignited her passion to help others, especially other high school kids. Amber’s dream is to help bring together a network of businesses and community leaders who are willing to employ the youth population. “This is a great age. They are hungry for knowledge and willing to work hard. They can have a mentor and gain job and life skills too,” she notes.
Amber says, “Not everybody is going to go to college or wants to go to college. And they don’t have to if that’s not their path.” She says that all kids can learn and benefit from early job experiences, including customer service skills, coping with a variety of work styles and people, and getting a real picture for what a work place looks like. It’s that kind of real world experience that will pay dividends in kids’ futures.
“It’s about giving them opportunities and helping them to develop skills that will make them marketable in the workplace as adults whether they choose to go to college or not,” Amber shares. She also says that the jobs don’t have to be big. “These are kids who are wanting to work and willing to work. And many of them need another mentor in their life – someone who can help them become successful in business.”
In December 2014, Amber and her family recently moved back to the Lewis County area after living in Montana. They wanted to live closer to family. While in Montana, Amber helped to facilitate many professional networking groups. “In every group, it didn’t matter where it was, there was always a realtor and a lender in the group.” Participating in the networking groups inspired Amber to pursue realty.
In April 2015, Amber became a licensed realtor. “I’ve worked all kinds of jobs, but I always had an interest in real estate, especially architecture.” Currently, Amber is a realtor for Coldwell Banker Kline & Associates. Amber shares that her favorite part of the job is helping first time home buyers find the perfect home. “You get to meet people from all walks of life and all ages. And helping them find their first house is just special.”
Amber says that she loves connecting buyers to the perfect house – one that fits their lifestyle, their budget, and their dreams – which can sometimes be a pretty tall order. “Seeing their faces when they walk in and they know they’ve found ‘the one,’ that’s my favorite part,” says Amber warmly.
When asked about any advice she had for somebody looking to buy a house, Amber recommends seeing a lender first to understand your credit score, repair any credit issues and settle on a price range. She says that knowing this information can make house shopping a better experience. Then, give Amber a call at 360-669-3605.
Along with selling houses Amber hopes one day to mentor other young adults to help pay forward everything that Lilly Wall gave to her. Amber says, “I don’t know that I would be who I am today without her.”
