Employee Spotlight: Celebrating 20 Years with Shawn Hall
Posted on by Kate Nadeau
Twenty years ago, when Shawn Hall was looking to relocate from Los Angles back to Massachusetts, mk North America was a small seven-person company operating out of a warehouse in Simsbury, Connecticut. Hall was looking for a company that would provide stability and the means to move back home. mk was looking for a talented, mechanically and electrically-inclined individual to work on assembling standard conveyors, their fastest growing product line at the time. Hall was introduced to the ownership and management from a friend who already worked at mk, and ever since Hall has been a dedicated employee.
Recently I had a chance to sit down and talk with Hall and mk’s management about Hall’s tenure with the company.
Fond Memories
Hall recalled how mk moved from their Simsbury location to their current North American headquarters in July 1996, about a month after he started. He fondly spoke about playing ball in the empty warehouse and working over the weekend to complete the move.
In fact, the camaraderie amongst Hall and his coworkers is one of the many things that Hall spoke about during our interview. We talked about how after work employees used to hang out together and play basketball. Those nights – along with a business trip to Maryland – are some of his fondest memories of his time at mk. The people, his coworkers, are also one of the biggest changes Hall spoke about seeing in the last twenty years at mk. As the company has grown Hall noted that employees spend less non-work hours together. But he understands how that happens, and says he appreciates and looks forward to company-wide activities that promote team building.
When I asked Hall what had changed the least in the last twenty years, Hall simply replied, “I still love my job.” He says working for mk and assembling standard conveyors is “like working with a big erector set – always assembling something different – which helps make it so things don’t get boring.”
Praise from the President
Andreas Haussmann, president of mk North America, says about Hall, “I’d like to congratulate and thank Shawn for his 20 years of service. He is one of our original employees and a valuable asset to this company. Without the loyalty, hard work and expertise of employees like Shawn who helped us get things started, we could never have achieved our present stature. We are truly happy to have Shawn and I wish him the very best for the years to come.”
Looking Ahead
Hall is looking forward to the future with mk North America. When asked what he plans on doing in twenty years, Hall says he still hopes to be with mk. “I really enjoy the work and all of the people I work with. I am fortunate to have good people around me and I hope to still be at mk in twenty years.”