Courtney Fancher loves to learn.
“I’m kind of a sponge,” she said. “School is like a hobby to me.”
That is why Fancher is so passionate about her job.
The newly turned 30-year-old is an economics research analyst at Staplcotn. The job is the third promotion she’s received since starting her employment at the company about two and a half years ago.
“I’ve always been really, really involved in research and just really thirsty for the full picture, and I think that’s what interested me in the position,” she said.
As an economics research analyst, Fancher said she knew “that I’d be constantly learning something all the time; it would be ever-changing, and it’d be more room for me to grow.”
She knew the job would be a challenge, but she said, “I welcomed the challenge.”
“I always like to push myself as far as I possibly can,” she said.
Fancher, a Memphis native, moved to Greenwood in late 2016. Her husband, Trent, is from Greenwood. He briefly lived in Olive Branch, which is where the two met.
“Once we decided we were going to get married, he talked me into coming on down to Greenwood, and it’s one of the best decisions I’ve probably ever made,” said Fancher.
The couple married on May 13, 2017, at the Elks Lodge on Sgt. John A. Pittman Drive. They now have a daughter, Isla, who is 1½ years old.
Moving to Greenwood was a change of pace for Fancher.
“It was a bit of a culture shock but in all of the best ways possible,” she said. “I got to wind down, and my husband and I decided to start a family here. I am so glad that we did, because it is just the perfect place for us.”
It took some time for Fancher to get acclimated to Greenwood. It’s a small town compared to Memphis, and she had some difficulty at first finding job opportunities.
“I spent the better part of six months looking for a position,” she said.
Then information about an open position at Staplcotn popped up on her Facebook feed.
“I sent my email and my resumé, and they hired me,” she said.
She began working in human resources as a temporary employee. She worked there 20 hours a week for about six months before being promoted to a full-time employee in the legal department.
Now as an economics research analyst, she has found her niche.
“I work really closely with our marketing team. We conduct a lot of research and analyze different kinds of data to help our management team be informed about the latest updates in the cotton industry and any of the news that might affect our members’ crops,” she said.
Fancher said what she enjoys most is to “try to make projections, and when my projections are right, I’m really happy.”
The coronavirus pandemic has presented some challenges.
“The market with the pandemic has been very unpredictable, so trying to draw conclusions with that has been extremely challenging,” she said.
Joining Staplcotn helped Fancher adjust to her new home, and after settling into her job, she joined the Greenwood Leflore Young Professionals and is a member of the Greenwood-Leflore County Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership Greenwood Class of 2020.
“Once I did begin working at Staplcotn and I started networking ... I’ve met a lot of fantastic people,” she said.
She said her in-laws, Eddie and Angela Fancher, also helped make her feel at home in Greenwood.
Fancher is a graduate of Northwest Mississippi Community College, where she received an associate’s degree. She studied criminology at Northwest and also at the University of Memphis before moving to Greenwood. After the move, she attended Mississippi Valley State University, where she began studying political science.
Now she is studying political science and business economics at the University of Mississippi.
“I’m about to knock out my two bachelor’s degrees at the same time for criminology and political science, and then I will continue to go to school to finish a degree in business economics,” she said.
Fancher and her husband are both musicians.
“We really love music,” she said.
Fancher grew up in the marching band playing clarinet and bass clarinet, and she said her husband has played guitar all his life.
“We have several guitars, several basses; we own several mandolins; we even have a ukulele, a clarinet and a flute,” she said.
Fancher plays the clarinet, flute and mandolin, calls herself a “hopeful” guitar player and sings, although she said, “I wouldn’t call myself a singer.”
She said her daughter loves it when the couple plays music.
“She has her own special little dance moves, and I don’t know where she got them from,” said Fancher. “I think she just gets it from her mother and father; it’s in her blood.”
The family also enjoys spending time outdoors.
Since having Isla, Fancher said, “My husband and I spend a lot of time focusing on her, outside of what we do when we’re working.”
•Contact Ruthie Robison at 581-7235 or rrobison@gwcommonwealth.com.
