In honor of Father’s Day this weekend, we would like to feature some Amalgamated Sugar employees at our Nampa facility, who are not only their children’s dads but also their co-workers. Each family was asked to answer:
“What does working with your family mean to you?”
Stan & Kyle Bair
Stan: “My dad, Quinn Bair worked 35 years with the Company – 15 years in Lewiston and 20 years here at Nampa, so I was able to work with him. It was special, because he was there to teach me things; things that he wouldn’t have taught other people. The fact that he was there, and I could ask him questions and talk to him about things meant a lot.
Kyle: “I owe a lot to my dad. He helped me get my foot in the door here, and really, it has been a pleasure to get to work with him. I attribute my success at Amalgamated Sugar to the work ethic taught to me by my dad.”
Luis, Marcial, & Jessica Cepeda
Luis: “It’s been pretty awesome to see them follow in my footsteps. I started with the Company as a Sweeper and worked my way up to be a Production Manager – working to raise the bar higher each time.”
Marcial: “I fought it for a while, but getting a job here and working with my dad – having a chance to work with my son for a while – has really helped me understand what he has gone through and what he has done for our family.”
Jessica: “It’s been amazing. I love working here with my family. We have some big shoes to fill following my dad’s footsteps. He has accomplished so much here, and I am honored to be able to work with my dad.”
Tom & Esteban Villanueva
Tom: “I’m proud that he is following in my footsteps. Maybe he just wanted a job at the time, but he’s advanced and I’m proud that he’s here. I’ve been here 40 years, and my dad worked here, too. It’s a family-oriented company and it has a good future. I think it will keep going and growing.”
Esteban: “It is a very family-oriented company. I also get to work with my uncle and brothers. Working here has really helped me understand what my dad has been through and how he’s worked his way up. It shows that I can do it, too.”
Mark & Andrew Vanderhoff
Mark: “It’s been fun to work with my son. Now that he is a supervisor, I get to watch how he supervises and see his accomplishments; see his work ethic. Last campaign, A-Tower went down and I got to work with Andrew on days. We worked together as teammates and equals, not just as father and son to get the tower going again. It was one of the highlights of my career. I see him making the same sacrifices I made when I was his age, and I’m proud of his work ethic. It’s hard to describe how proud I am of my son and what he has accomplished while working here at Amalgamated Sugar. Not only is he a dedicated employee, but he is also a dedicated father and husband to his wife and children.”
Andrew: “It’s been great. Growing up, I just knew my dad worked at the sugarbeet factory; I didn’t know exactly what he did. Now, we’re working together as equals and I think we make a great team. It’s really shown me what he went through when I was a kid, and now I’m going through those same experiences with my kids.”
Ismael De La Torre & Adrianna Cates
Ismael: “It’s nice. I love her working here. She knows she can come to me any time, and I’ll be there for her.”
Adrianna: “It’s really nice. I don’t only have a co-worker, but a family member I trust who I can go to when I have questions or need someone to talk to.”
While there are many other multi-generational employee families across the Company, we were unable to feature them all today. We look forward to sharing more employee stories with you in the future. We would like to wish all Amalgamated Sugar fathers a happy Father’s Day.