Take a second to think about where you are in your current profession. Next, take a few minutes to think about all of the previous jobs and experience that have led you to your current role. What was the longest period of time that you stayed at a job? The average person changes jobs an average of 12 times during his or her career. In today’s society, people no longer work for one company for their whole career, retiring after 50+ years. Many workers spend five years or less in every job they hold. Is there loyalty any more when it comes to working for a company? The answer is yes and that company is Yazoo Mills.
Meet Steve McMaster – a long-tenured Yazoo employee that has been working for the company for over 36 years. He dove in head first into the manufacturing industry at the ripe age of 18-years-old as a Winding Operator in our Winding Department. Over the years, Steve proved that he wanted to work his way up by learning everything and anything he could. He proceeded to move into the role of Winding Lead to Recut Set-Up to Production Supervisor and then into his current role of over 20 years as Plant Manager.
As the Plant Manager, Steve’s days are packed with a lot of responsibilities. He oversees production and collaborates with department supervisors to obtain practices throughout the plant from start to finish and ensures that Yazoo is producing high-quality paper tubes and cores with exceptional level of service. In addition, he also works with suppliers to ensure we are receiving quality raw materials for efficient operation for our manufacturing team. When he’s not out on the plant floor, you can find Steve collaborating with Sales/Customer Service to meet our customers’ special requirements for their business such as core size, branding, packaging, etc.
Stability and projects that have challenged him are the secret to Steve’s longevity with the company. He likes that Yazoo continues to invest in its employees and the business and in turn, continues to grow by offering stability, challenges and opportunities for employees to excel into their next role with our team. What does he like best about working at Yazoo? That’s easy — a family-owned company that treats everyone like one large family and takes care of their employees. He says “The people are great to work with and stay once they are here; creating the family atmosphere. The competitive pay and great employee benefits as well as a very clean manufacturing environment definitely attract the right team members, who stay for the long-haul.”
In his spare time, you can find Steve with his family and grandkids. He is a handyman and loves working on all types of projects his kids send his way. Occasionally, you can find him at a NASCAR race during the season and recently, playing in corn-hole tournaments have become his new favorite thing to do to “relax.”
Congratulations, Steve, on your 36 years with the company. We are grateful for your knowledge, loyalty and expertise you have provided our team with. We look forward to having you on our team for the next 36+ years!