Meet Jared, Plant Manager at Highland Machine

Jared has been working at Highland Machine for 17 years, following in his father’s footsteps who was an employee for 45 years. Jared remembers visiting his dad at his job while he was growing up. At home, he enjoys his two children, six and eight years old. The family always looks forward to spending time together outdoors while fishing, hunting, golfing, and going to the lake.

“I grew up at Highland Machine. I would always come in with my dad and hang around the office, so I knew everyone. While in college I started Highland’s summer scholarship program and then started working here full time as a foreman. I worked as a foreman, production coordinator, and in a quoting position, so I got to experience a lot of the business. Since I was a younger one in the office, my bosses always appreciated the different perspective I would bring.”

At Highland Machine, everyone is focused on improvement

“It’s really awesome to be a part of an organization where everyone is focused on the same goal and moving forward. We even have sheets in the shop called Continuous Improvement Forms that employees can fill out. If someone has an idea to build something a better way, then we’ll get the foreman, supervisor and everyone else together to look at the part and make it better. I love that.”

Tip for our customers

“We do a lot via email nowadays, but it’s still really great when a customer comes to check out our operation or when we can see their product in person. It’s very helpful for our team to understand the product, so we can figure out ways to produce it easier and save our customers money. Also, more communication is always key.”