What’s Moving You: Ashly Villanueva

Ashly Villanueva is Eaglestone’s Administrative Coordinator. But she does far more than her job title implies. Since starting with Eaglestone in August 2011, she’s been involved in accounting, purchasing, payroll, safety, human resources and general office work, lending a hand in any task. With all of the projects that pass through Eaglestone’s doors, you can bet she’s been involved in most of them. Investing all of her time and energy into Eaglestone during the workweek, it’s not surprising that Ashly would choose to spend her free time in a decidedly more tranquil environment. Looking to escape from the demands of her professional life, Ashly turns to fishing for fun.

Ashly’s passion for fishing is owed to equal parts nature and nurture. Thanks to her childhood neighbors, she was exposed to fishing on a consistent basis. “Growing up, all of my neighbors were boys,” she said. “I just grew up fishing with them. I guess I was a bit of a tomboy.” Although, Ashly’s fairly certain that—regardless of childhood friends—fishing would have found its way into her life in one way or another. On the weekends, Ashly’s father would take Ashly and her sisters on weekly trips to local ponds and rivers. She distinctly remembers waking up at 5am, packing into the family car and spending the entire day fishing the Fox River each weekend.

Fishing has provided Ashly with plenty of fond memories, and it’s also influenced how she wants to raise her children. She’s had to momentarily place her hobby on the backburner to care for her two young twins. However, she’d like to return to fishing once her children are old enough to spin a reel. “It’s something that’s so special, especially when you’re out with family,” she said. “It’s a nice way to keep everyone together.”

While the solace of the sport isn’t lost on Ashly, family is ultimately what she loves about her hobby—even if her family members head to the waterfront with different priorities. “They’re always trying to catch the biggest bass.” She said. “But I’m not patient enough for that, so I prefer bluegills. Of course, I always end up catching the first bass anyway.”