It’s been quite a journey meeting all of ThermoPro. I enjoyed learning the full process and understanding all the different stages an order goes through for fulfillment.
When you call for a quote and speak to our Customer Service Team, you get your first taste of the kindness and warmth all of ThermoPro exudes. Then, even without your intimate knowledge, the Technical and Engineering Team get to work on your project. Maybe you will have a direct conversations with Mike or Lynn to hammer out details.
There are many more talented players “behind the scenes.” You can read about a few in our previous installments of the “Meet ThermoPro” series. I had the pleasure of introducing you to the Operations and Purchasing Mangers that work hard, wearing multiple hats. I also spoke with the ThermoPro Process Coordinator, Sonny, and received a glimmer of his infectious personality.
All in all, we have almost completed our journey through the thermoforming process at ThermoPro. However, there are still a few characters I can’t wait to tell you about. Recently, I had the opportunity to speak with the Shipping Receiving Clerk, Kim Schlageter.
Kim Schlageter
As with all of the talented and experienced people at ThermoPro, Kim also has a bold and warm personality. One of the first things you notice about Kim is that family is the most important thing to her.
Kim is a grandmother. She told me about playing with the “kids” for spring break and over the summer. These kids are still young enough to keep her on her toes. But that isn’t the only family she takes care of, Kim takes care of her mom here in Atlanta too.
Family is her core; it’s what makes her Kim.
Getting Started at ThermoPro
I ask everyone, “what brings you to Atlanta?” and I’m never disappointed by the responses. Kim told me she came to Atlanta through marriage, 26 years ago. With laughter in her voice she told me “he left, she stayed.”
Two years after moving down here from Rhode Island she was driving her son to school when she saw a sign on the side of the road for work at ThermoPro. Apparently, the hiring manager at the time saw Kim’s spark and hired her on the spot. She told me she loved the people of ThermoPro right away, everyone was welcoming and friendly.
Why ThermoPro
Kim is a family person. It makes perfect sense that she would require a “work family” to be truly happy on the job.
In each interview with every department, everyone talks about the comradery at work. Everyone really knows each other. They not only understand each other’s likes and dislikes in a business setting, but they know each other’s extended family.
The ThermoPro team members consider themselves friends as well as colleagues.
I asked her what surprised her most about working for ThermoPro, she said “how well the employees are treated.” Greg Weigle, CEO, takes time to visit with all of the employees regularly. But, the positive interactions don’t stop there. She told me the company has a laid back atmosphere but when a job needs to be done, it gets done.
Goals and Accomplishments
Everyone works hard but they also work together. There’s a sense of humble ownership to each task. Kim has a busy job. She preps items for shipping, manages truck orders, UPS and calls to schedule pickups.
Some days she struggles to keep up with all the items on her to-do list. But, when she marks the last item complete (and she always does), it gives her a great sense of accomplishment. Overall she really enjoys staying busy, she told me it keeps her “up and going.”
Kim loves working at ThermoPro. She really enjoys being a part of a family oriented business with a laid back atmosphere. They have Thanksgiving dinners and Christmas parties, and of course they spin a prize wheel for special occasions.
In her spare time, Kim is an avid bingo player. She plays for fun but still wins a good jackpot maybe twice a year. If she isn’t at work, or playing bingo, she’s hanging out with her traditional family members, chasing grandkids, or helping her mom.
Family includes the people you spend the most time with and it was an honor to meet Kim and learn about hers.
