Crest Ink - Volume 34 - Number 04

Craig Friday Karlin Warehouse Manager Interests: Fishing, camping, spending time outdoors. Something most people don’t know about me: I farmed for 28 years and retired from it in 2015. First job at Crest Foods: I actually worked in the Mix Department one summer when I was in high school. I then worked 2nd shift as a fork- lift operator on the docks in town. Some of my favorite memories from Crest over the last 30 years: The day after the tornado hit the warehouse. I believe the best in everyone came to work that day. The day started with a little confusion, but ended with incredible stregnth. I was proud to be a part of it. Also, when Jeff Roop wore a suit and tie for his job interview - he should dig it back out! Jeff Roop Scheduling Specialist Interests: Spending time with my grandkids, listening to Christian music, and watching The Chosen. Something most people don’t know about me: I officiated the IHSA Girls Basketball 2A finals. First job at Crest Foods: I replaced Ken Fishbach as Warehouse Expediter. Some of my favorite memories from Crest over the last 30 years: Being a Production Supervisor and having Erika, Brandon, Garett, and Gaven work for me during the summer. Also, road rallies, and all of the friendships I have made. Karen Yardley Safety & Sanitation Manager Interests: I love to read (history, mystery, biography - you name it!), camp, hike, bike, and spend time with my family - including my dog Peaches, who also loves to hike and cuddle when I’m reading! And I’m sure most everyone knows - I’m a huge Harry Potter fan! Something most people don’t know about me: I’m interested in genealogy and local history and I volunteer at the Lee County Historical and Genealogical Society every Saturday morning. First job at Crest Foods: I started on B-Shift in Production. My first night was on a bulk pack line and I thought “this is pretty easy, I can handle this.” It didn’t take long to find out that most lines are not as easy as a bulk pack line and I was very happy when I was approached by QA about a transfer after being in production for about 2 weeks! I’ve worked on the lines a few times over the years and I know it takes some special skills that not everyone has! Some of my favorite memories from Crest over the last 30 years: Way too many good memories since I’ve worked in three different departments on three different shifts! I’ve had the opportunity to meet and work with some special people - and some real characters - over the years! B Shift twenty five years ago was quite a fun crowd ! Thursday night was payday and uptown Ashton was the place to be! I’ll never forget the afternoon my boss, Marty Barclay, found me “resting my eyes” in the weigh station at the start of the shift! Sanitation C Shift was a rough transition at first. Thomasa Webb and I were trained to wash mixers and were pretty proud of the job that we did. Chris Reynolds, Kyle Hassler and Ray Van Drew were major influences for me during my overnight stint. Being the Sanitation Manager and working on A Shift brought the wonderful experiences of working with the veterans like Pat Hilliker, Jim Spangler, Kim Gallagher and Brent Warner. And as nice as these gentlemen all are, there was a time that I was very intimidated by them! Now I’m approaching “vet- eran” status myself but one of the best parts of my job is that I continue to learn new things every day - from my co-workers, from the vendors and suppliers I get to work with and from the opportunity Crest gives me to pursue additional training and education. Getting to Know: 30 Year Employees This year we celebrated 6 employees who reached their 30 year anniversary with the company! Congratulations to Jeff Roop, Karen Yardley, Roger Wolber, Gerald Gibson, Craig Friday and Kyle Hassler! Each of these employees will get a brick engraved with their name placed on the 30 Year Wall at the Main Plant. Crest will also be donating $500 to the charity of their choice in their honor. We congratulate each of these employees on reaching this mile stone and thank them for dedicating their careers to Crest Foods!

October, November & December 2022 Crest Ink 3

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