A New Sales Engineer’s Road to Success at DeWys Manufacturing

An unknown author once wrote “As you climb the ladder of success, be sure its leaning against the right building.” I believe this quote communicates the importance a company and its culture has on one’s ability to climb different rungs of success. The building that I first leaned my ladder on, and continue to lean on today is DeWys Manufacturing. I started cleaning toilets and weeding landscape when I was 15 years old, and fast forward 8 years, I do not regret putting in the hard work to get where I’m at today.

I have been very lucky with the opportunities that have been made available to me during my short career. After my time as the shop janitor, I began working in various departments throughout the shop floor. I first transferred to the paint line then on to machining where I would spend my next two years learning the ins and outs of the CNC machining process. Moving from area to area would turn out to be a great asset in my future positions at DeWys, as I was able to experience the fabrication process firsthand. During this time, I was also growing my mind in other ways, as I attended college full time.

DeWys Manufacturing was willing to work with my goals/aspirations during my earlier years as a team member, which gave me a chance to prove my worth. For starters, they allowed me to work part time while I was attending college. This type of flexibility is not a common industry standard, and was vital for improving at work and outside of work. DeWys also helped guide my decisions on what to go to school for, and what the best path might be in my academic career. I can remember when I first started attending GRCC, I set up a meeting with our Workforce Development Manager, Laura Elsner. Even with her busy work schedule, she met with me to discuss what business degree she thought would best shape my career. This type of investment in employees was very important to me, and emboldened my attempts to continue moving up through the company. I was given the chance to complete an internship in the sales department at DeWys. Upon completion, I continued to work in a part time sales role until I finished school.

After completing my Bachelors in Business Administration, and Masters in Business Administration in the Spring of 2017, DeWys offered me a fulltime position in the sales department. I was also given the opportunity to become the Business Development Coordinator for the newest company purchased by DeWys Manufacturing, American Grower Resource (AGR). This load of responsibilities will be a new test of my abilities. My years of experience on the manufacturing floor as well as my two degrees, have prepared me for these opportunities. I hope to accumulate more knowledge and more experience to further propel my career at DeWys Manufacturing.

I have come to understand that the next 8 years will be much harder than my past 8 years, but I am ready for whatever challenges arise. As I have said before, I have leaned my ladder on the right building, and I am not done climbing. – Mitch B.

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