Champion Highlight | Mark East
This month's Champion is Mark East. Mark is the extraordinarily talented Shop Fabricator on the Mahaney Metals team. Mark is November's Champion because of his commitment to our company value to Put Others First.
He has had over four decades of experience in metalwork and feels like he is not done learning and growing in his craft. After growing up in Wichita, Mark moved to Los Angeles, where he opened his own shop. There he honed his sheet metal skills and got to do impressive projects, including one for actor Tom Hanks.
After eight years in L.A., Mark moved home to Wichita and got a job in the shop at Mahaney. Mark's job is to fulfill orders for sheet metal pieces for Mahaney projects, and he always does so in a way that is considerate of others.
Mark says he never feels pressured by anyone dictating how to do his work, but instead, he puts pressure on himself to make sure the people depending on him have the material they need when they need it. Mark credits his experience owning his own business with his mentality of "others first."
"I could have 20 guys out there, and if I don't put a product in front of them, they can't feed their families. You don't realize that until you have your own company."
Mark has felt encouraged by the recent growth as Mahaney evolves into more divisions. He says his skills and expertise have helped him branch out into more custom pieces lately.
"We're starting to get into more custom fabrication, which is what I've done before. We're expanding into awnings and panels. We're really starting to grow."
Mark says he immediately felt that he clicked when he started working at Mahaney over two years ago. He loved the company and the positive direction it was heading. One of the first things he noticed and loved was the level of ambition had by everyone at Mahaney.
"We are growing at all times. There's no complacency. There's no stopping. We could have a dozen jobs going on at a time and get a lot of requests. We go through about 2,000 to 3,000 pounds of metal per day."
Mark also said that Mahaney owner Mark Bolt's leadership style has helped him grow and feel supported at Mahaney.
"I've had room to expand. Mark [Bolt] will come back and ask if I need anything, if there's anything he can do, or if I need any help. He basically took the reins off and let me take this area. I think he enjoys that he can trust things are getting done."
Mark has had many years of experience and has worked at other jobs where he feels that people have been under-appreciated, but he has never experienced that at Mahaney. Mark says people are respected across the board and treated very well. He says he enjoys working with many talented people.
"Everybody has an opportunity to stand out here. A lot of our installers have been doing it a long time. Everybody has their part to do."
Thank you for your dedication and for putting others first, Mark! We are honored to have your skill and excellence on our team.
