Crest Ink - Volume 29 - Number 01

Another Brick in the Wall by Cheri Kemp & Ed Baylor Editor’s note: If you are old enough to remember an album by Pink Floyd called ‘Another Brick in the Wall’ then you have probably been around for over 30 years. For those employees who hit the 30 year mark, they are given an engraved brick with their name and year they were hired that is permanently displayed on the front of the main reception area of Crest Foods. In addition to the brick, Crest Foods donates $500 to the charity of their choice, in that employee’s name. In 2016, we have two employees who have gained their brick and their charitable donation. They are Cheri Kemp and Ed Baylor. Just like those gaining entry into the 20 Year Club, those who reach 30 years have persevered in their jobs and helped bring Crest along the path to the thriving company it is today. If I, (Cheri Kemp) had to describe in one word my 30 years at Crest Foods, that one word would be GROW. I have grown older; my kids have grown older, too; the company has grown; my job duties have grown; and I have grown in innumerable ways with knowledge, friendships, experiences, and memories. I can remember very clearly the day I applied for a job at Crest Foods. My prior experience at different employers uniquely fit a job that was just in the beginning stages at Crest Foods way back in ’86 when Crest had about 225 employees. Previously I had worked in two different hospitals in Human Resources handling insurance benefits and workers compensation for about 7 years. After that for about 7 ½ years I worked for an insurance agency and earned my insurance and real estate brokers licenses. Then came the day I applied for work at Crest Foods. They needed someone to learn about and handle insurance benefits. I had the experience. I will never regret making the decision to walk through the door that day to start a new job. When I started at Crest, my children were 9, 11 and 13. Now they are all married, and between them have given me 8 grandchildren. Thirty years can sure seem like a very long time when you speak of it. But in ‘real time’ it is just a flash in the pan. So for you youngsters out there, remember to slow down and enjoy the many moments – don’t rush through life because 30 years will be over in a blink. From those 30 years I have so many memories that I could write on and on about but will keep it short instead. Over the years, as the company has grown, my job has also, as I mentioned before. In those 30 years we have grown to about 700 employees so over triple the size from when I first started, and if you count the temp service employees we are over 800! The one thing I truly never get tired of is helping all the employees with their needs. I am a people person so my daily work is filled with something I enjoy. Ed Baylor, my fellow 30 year statesman, actually did start a few weeks before me, and he is much younger than me, but I told him I was the Valedictorian of the Class of 1986 and he was the Salutatorian. He was a true gentleman about it. This will be the first time I made it to the top of the class and it is a great feeling! come a part of that culture and truly are the folks who define who we are as a company. We simply don’t exist with out them. The list of long-term employees who are actively working at Crest is impressive and continues to grow at a rapid pace: 10 year plus employees – 262 30 year plus employees – 40 20 year plus employees – 125 40 year plus employees – 6 We appreciate all of the people that are part of the Crest family and we do our best to earn their dedication as em- ployees, but we are especially thankful to those who have made a career of Crest. Eighteen people celebrated their 10th anniversary at Crest this year – twelve their 20th – two their 30th and one their 40th. Congratulations to each one of them on reaching this milestone and we hope they stick around for many years to come.

2 Crest Ink January, February & March 2017

Made with FlippingBook - Online Brochure Maker