A great way to get to know a company is through their people. Handling Specialty has been introducing its employees to one another through newsletters for years. Now they want to bring them to you beyond their walls.
Meet Susan. Susan is the shop co-coordinator for Handling Specialty at their Plant in Grimsby, Ontario. “I started at Handing Specialty in April of 1980! Yes, I know…” Susan Says, “I was a baby when I started here.”
When Susan began her employment with Handling Specialty, she answered phones as a Sales admin, doing the quotes etc. and later moved on to customs/shipping documentation (which she tells us she still does). Eventually, she was pulled from the phones altogether – “as it was decided I talked too fast,” Susan adds.
When she was moved to the shop, her position wasn’t really defined, which made her nervous; Susan admits, but now she is very comfortable, kitting the projects, labelling jobs, dwg control, finding a place for everything, and keeping everything in its place. Other duties include maintenance of vehicles and tool calibration etc., and Susan is always busy (and never bored), which is what she loves!
Susan says she has witnessed the company’s growth first-hand over the years and the positions generated which come with it. “I’ve seen employees come and go and come back again!” She explains. “I’ve seen us go from stock mini scissor lifts and cranes to massive custom projects and seen technology change how we work from the shop floor to administration. I have watched HSML go from one plant to two, from 10 to 14 employees in the shop to 65 – plus the office staff: WOW!”
Susan considers Handling Specialty’s diversification in industry product development a major win for them and says she is truly happy to work there as long as they will have her. “My boys and I get our work done, but man, we have a lot of fun too. We spend a lot of time with each other here, but you know you’re lucky when you enjoy the company.”
Susan McKellar – With Handling Specialty since 1980.
