Here you will find first hand stories involving employees taking advantage of various opportunities that arise within our company. These are just a few success stories within our company. This section will be updated several times throughout the year so please continue to visit our website in order to read more great stories.
Sheila Hoffman started working with Gienow ten years ago as a grill assembler in the Glass Plant. As the company grew and moved to a bigger building, Sheila moved along. After 3 years in the grill area, she was working in specialized grills which demanded more skill and ability; she decided she was at the top of her game as was ready for another challenge. That opportunity came when her Group Leader transferred to another location within the company and she was promoted to lead the production line. She defines this job as a perfect fit for her: “it seemed like the job was designed for me!” she remembers. Sheila has recently become a Fleet Coordinator in our Shipping department; she manages maintenance issues, arranges truck rentals, forklifts repairs, etc. “I like working here; I value the people I have worked with along the way. This is now my comfort zone and I believe the company has been good to me.” She adds that a strong work ethic, her ability to treat others with respect, her empathy and ability to communicate effectively have given her the chance to enjoy and grow in her job. Sheila is a valuable player in the Safety Committee as well.
Erin Chaba started working for Gienow in Production Control a little over 10 years ago. After a few years, Erin decided that she wanted to take some time to explore and achieve some personal interests by traveling to South America. She was able to fulfill her dreams and then to come back to Gienow. “Flexibility is something that the company has been able to offer me”, recalls Erin. After her trip to South America, Erin changed her schedule to different hours. She was responsible for extracting information from orders, processing reports and scheduling production. After Erin excelled in this role she was promoted to Scheduling Supervisor where she helped make some big improvements to the process and the way they affect other departments. She proved that a two person job could be more effectively managed by one person that knew all the processes and tasks, and how they impacted other departments. As she had gained the know-how from her experience, Erin has been able to improve the procedures in an effort to better service our customers. Erin has been a vital member of Team Gienow and has made many contributions to the manufacturing process. She is a great example of an employee who took advantage of the opportunities that surrounded her. About her role and her relationship with Gienow she says: “You have to have high expectation from yourself, and take pride in what you do, this way you will inspire other around you. I like to have things done correctly. My work ethic dictates that I have to be committed to the job that I do as it will affect others, in this case our customer”
Russell Lapp started working with Gienow in 2005 as a Marketing Analyst in our head office. With his entrepreneurial education and background Russell has been able to implement that perspective in everything that he does. Early in 2008, Russell was promoted to Showroom Sales Manager. He specially enjoys the flexibility that this position allows him to implement ideas into action, and above all have an entrepreneurial spirit with the way the team achieve their goals. After having spent some time as the Showroom Sales Manager he reflects back on the opportunity he has earned, and recognizes that his previous experience in the Marketing department, as well as his ability to be in contact with other departments of the organization (Engineering, Sales) enabled him to have the skills necessary to fulfill his current role. Russell believes in the power of Leadership as he guides his team of 4 staff members through several challenges the industry faces. Russell believes that a positive attitude and his ability to trust and be trusted have been key components in his successful career with Gienow. “We have a company that has been in the Industry for more than 60 years, and employees who have been for more than 25, that says something very positive about Gienow, As in a great company, you will have the chance to move forward if you put your mind and effort to it”
Randy Lewis started working for Gienow in May 1994 and brings an immense amount of knowledge to Gienow in the area of Sales. Randy began his career with Gienow in Inside Sales. There, he learned a lot about the company’s customers and was able to build long lasting business relationships. Randy was quickly promoted to Industrial Sales and then to Dealer Sales where he was able to gain insight into the industry from different view points. In 1999 Randy was able to travel the U.S. territory and gain new customers. After spending several years in that role, Randy was promoted to Calgary Sales Manager handling the biggest branch in the company. Randy was next promoted to Vice President of Sales and Marketing, where he is now oversees all Sales territories within Gienow. In Randy’s opinion, he was lucky to start at the bottom, and to be able to work in so many areas. It helped him appreciate the differences between markets, and how product design can best fit the customer’s needs. As a result of his great dedication, loyalty, determination, and confidence, Randy has become another great example of an employee taking advantage of opportunity within Gienow.
Dwayne started working with Gienow in September of 2005 as a Quality Auditor in our manufacturing facility. The primary function of his role was to locate defective product within the plant and to ensure it did not leave the building. Early in 2006, Dwayne was promoted to Quality Process Analyst where he assisted in reviewing and improving manufacturing processes within the plant. After spending 2 years with the Quality department, Dwayne was promoted to Field Service Supervisor in which he was accountable for ensuring customers received the appropriate service from the company. Shortly after becoming Field Supervisor, Dwayne was promoted to Field Service Manager where he oversees the entire field service aspect of Gienow. As a result of Dwayne’s hard work he was promoted several times and is a great example of someone taking advantage of opportunities that arise within the company.
Tony started working for Gienow shortly after he arrived in Canada from the UK as a Millwright. Tony has been with the company for over 10 years and brings an immense amount of knowledge to Gienow in the area of Maintenance. Tony began his career with Gienow by helping incorporate more high tech machinery within the plant. The Maintenance department was small but thanks to Tony and the rest of the group we were able to install and run new machinery within our production lines. Soon after that Tony was promoted to Maintenance Lead Hand where he helped build a larger maintenance group and trained many individuals on Gienow’s new machinery. After spending 6 years in a lead hand role Tony was promoted to Maintenance Supervisor. He soon became accountable for developing programs in areas such as preventative maintenance. Shortly after becoming Supervisor, Tony was promoted to Maintenance Manager where he was directly responsible for the maintenance group within Gienow. Because of his great work ethic and knowledge Tony has become another great example of an employee taking advantage of opportunity within Gienow.
Joel started working for Gienow on our night shift nearly four and a half years ago. Shortly after starting with Gienow, Joel was promoted to Water Test Technician. He was responsible for putting windows through a series of tests that would evaluate the design of a window. After Joel excelled in this role he was promoted to Senior Quality Auditor where he helped make some big improvements to our vinyl product and also made some contributions from a design standpoint. After 2 years with Gienow Joel was promoted yet again to Bystronic Supervisor in our glass plant where he immediately helped improve processes within that department. A year later Joel moved back to the Quality department as a Supervisor where he continued to ensure our product was defect free. Soon after his return to Quality, Joel was asked to assist the Shipping department in improving their processes in an effort to better service our customers. Joel has been a vital member of team Gienow and has made many contributions to the manufacturing process within the company. He is a great example of an employee who took advantage of the opportunities that surrounded him.