Retirees Who Re-Lacks – Greta Vandenberg
When Greta Vandenberg retired in 2016, she had worked at Lacks for 30 years. She initially thought she would take it easy, but those plans didn’t last long. “I’m not one to be sitting around,” she said. “I’ve got to stay busy doing something all the time.”
She applied at a grocery store close to her home, but they didn’t hire her. “They probably thought I was too old!” she said with a chuckle.
Vandenberg had been a fixture at Barden Assembly for so long that she continued to come back for potlucks. At one of the gatherings, she was talking to the plant manager when she casually mentioned that she was looking for a job where she could work a couple of days per week.
The manager said he would hire her back in a heartbeat, Vandenberg quickly said yes. “I didn’t even know part-time was an option,” she said.
She returned to her previous job with Lacks, which was working quality and service. She worked two days a week there until she was asked to move to Kraft North, she agreed.
“I think Lacks is a great company,” she said. “They’ve always treated me well and I enjoy working with all the people here. They’re awesome.”
Switching to the Trim business unit from the Wheel Trim group required her to learn a few new tricks. “The procedures are different, but I’ve learned a lot,” said Vandenberg, whose husband retired from Lacks six years ago. “I think I’ve caught on fast. It’s been a great learning experience.”
July 2022 marked four years that she’s been back and she is as busy as ever in her life away from Lacks.
Vandenberg remains a tireless booster of the Lacks culture.
“I tell people, ‘Come to work every day because there are so many opportunities here,’” she said. “I try to help new operators as much as I can. I tell them, ‘You can have a future in the company if you just show up.’”