At KPS Global®, we believe the tenure of our employees plays a key role in making us the industry authority in cold storage. Further, it is a testament to the family-like workplace culture we uphold. One employee, James Penn, has set the standard with 45 years of employment with the company.
James began his career in September of 1979 as an assembler at a small, mom and pop manufacturer with only six employees. Forty-five years later, following a series of company acquisitions and promotions, he now serves as the Senior Maintenance Technician, and is a key player in an 850+ employee company. In this role, James’s “core duty is to maintain all production equipment. [His] days consist of preforming daily, weekly, and monthly preventive and predictive tasks along with troubleshooting and repairing any problems that arise.” His goal is to help the Goodyear, Arizona plant become more efficient, to make the plant employees’ jobs smoother and to mitigate risks of delay for our customers.
Throughout his years at KPS Global, James has held many other positions. He has been an installer, a delivery driver and even worked in customer service. James feels his role in customer service was both the most challenging and the most rewarding. When customers are faced with issues, they are bound to be frustrated, but he had to learn how to work with them and communicate to ultimately walk away delivering beyond customer expectations. This was especially challenging because his communication was done through pagers and payphones!
During his time at KPS Global, James has faced challenges, moments of growth and great successes. When asked about the highlights of his tenure at the company, James expressed pride in the massive leaps in product innovation KPS Global has accomplished. He stated that “one of the best innovative breakthroughs was the transition from ridged sheet foam panels to polyurethane foam panels. This improved the quality of panels and enabled the company to streamline the manufacturing process. Another game changer was the high-density rail. HDR opened a broader customer base that couldn’t use wood rails in their walk-ins.” James believes this plays a significant role in helping KPS Global stand out in the market. We have a broad sales reach and a large customer base, partly because our products have become so customizable. For nearly any customer request, KPS Global can deliver through our unmatched services and solutions.
One of the main things that has kept James at KPS Global is the fact that there are constant opportunities to grow and improve as an employee. He noted that he views every change in leadership as a new person to learn from and a new perspective to gain. Through the positions he has held, he has made a true impact on the lives of other employees and the company. James knows he plays a key role in keeping the plant running smoothly. He is uniquely fit for the role because he is goal oriented and flexible. When he has a goal in mind, he pushes to achieve it, but when challenges arise in the plant he knows how to pivot and solve problems on the spot.
We asked Omar Gonzalez, Plant Manager at the Goodyear Plant, what his experience has been like working with James. He said, “I have worked with James in different departments. I spent a couple of years under his supervision, and he taught me the importance of producing doors at the highest quality. James always told me, ‘We must make sure the doors are perfect; this is the first impression of our product to the customer.’ James has always had a positive team player attitude; he has been a great team member, and I have enjoyed working next to him over the last 29 years.”
When James one day steps away from KPS Global, he hopes to leave a legacy as someone who always did the right thing, no matter how much more challenging it was. He has truly enjoyed his time with the company, and he encourages others that during challenging moments you must lean on your team to continue towards your goals, and never be afraid to be vulnerable and ask questions.
KPS Global is proud to have had James in the company for the past 45 years.
