Editor’s Note: We have 4 employees reaching their 30 Year Anniversary with Crest Foods this year: Dave Bushman (Scheduling), Dave Branscum (Mix B), Ann Wege (Sales) and Ray O’Dell (Warehouse A). These employees will each have $500 donated to a charitable organization of their choosing in their honor as well as a brick that will grace the front of our Main Plant office area with their name and the year their employment started with Crest Foods. Congratulations to each of them. We thank them each for their loyalty, dedication, perseverance and patience in helping Crest Foods grow to the company that it is today. Please enjoy some of their stories below: 30 Year Anniversaries by Savannah Fagan
Ann Wege (Ingredient Division Sales) I came to Crest Foods on September 1, 1989. I had been working in Research and Development for 10 years, primarily in fermentation sciences. I was looking for a change and while interviewing with another company, I met someone who had worked at Crest Foods in the past. As fate would have it, I noticed an employment advertisement for a Technical Sales Representative in the Chicago Tribune (yes, this was before Monster.com) and it was one way people looked for jobs back then. The company was Crest Foods. I replied to the ad and the rest is history. I started out as a Territory Sales Manager covering the Midwest and through the years moved from Territory Sales Manager, National Accounts Manager, and Sales Manager to my current position of New Business Development
Manager. In the early years at Crest, our primary role was to look for new business in our core products (sour cream, ice cream, cottage cheese, buttermilk and yogurt). We didn’t have a Technical Service staff at the time so we were tasked with running trials and troubleshooting problems. The hours were long but the lessons learned stayed with me all these years. I have been fortunate to work with a great team, not just in sales but in Technical Service, Customer Service, QC, Operations, R&D and of course, our customers. My success is a result of great teamwork, which Crest excels at. There are so many “memorable” moments and experiences I have had over the past 30 years that it would be hard to name one. In all, I have stayed true to my theory that in order to succeed, you need to work hard, be kind to everyone you meet, have some fun, and have a goal of learning something new every day. Crest Foods has given me the opportunity to put my theory into practice, and for that I am grateful.
Dave Bushman (Scheduling) I started at Crest Foods straight out of high school, the sum- mer of 1984. A friend’s father (Mike Fichter) worked here and he recommended that we apply. I started in the Mix Department and worked for a few years, then decided to chase the Rock- n-Roll dream, and loaded up the van and moved to California. That didn’t go so well, so after about 5 months of living in the van, and eventually driving it off the side of a mountain (a whole different story!), I moved home and came right back to Crest Foods. I then worked for another year and a half in the Mix Department, then got the itch again and moved to Arizona. No accidents this time, but after a few months decided to move back home and again, came back to Crest Foods. I guess it was meant to be because after returning in April of 1989, I’ve
been here ever since. I’ve seen a lot of changes over the years. When I started there were a few years of slow times and layoffs, and now we’re always busy! The growth of the company with employees and all the new construction, it is hard to believe how much things have changed. Some of the jobs I’ve had over the years include starting out as a Mixer helper, and then moved on to a Lead mixer. From there I went to Lead Weigher and then Supply Expediter, before landing in the Scheduling Department where I’ve been for the past 20 years. I’d like to thank Crest Foods and the Meiners family for all they have done. It has been a privilege to work in such a great environment and for a company that is fair, honest, and does so much for our work families and the community. Thank you Crest Foods!
6 Crest Ink January, February & March 2020
Made with FlippingBook flipbook maker