Employee Profile
Rich Donnelly
Senior Production Technician
Rich has spent 23 years at Evermark Brands, where experience, attention to detail, and knowing the people around him have become part of how he approaches the work. As a Senior Production Technician, he has watched the operation change over time while continuing to take pride in doing the job right.
The Organization
Evermark Brands
A global consumer goods company headquartered in Cincinnati, designing, manufacturing, and distributing products for the home, workplace, and outdoors.
The Conversation
Inside the Work
What does your work mean to you?
For me, it’s really about doing a good job and knowing I’m part of something that takes a lot of people to make happen. I’ve been here a long time, and I still like being able to look at the work at the end of the day and know I did my part.
How did you first come to work at Evermark, and what made you stay?
Honestly, when I started, I wasn’t thinking twenty-some years down the road. I needed a good job, somebody I knew told me they were hiring, and I came in. Then life happens. You get settled, you get to know people, you start a family. At some point I realized, yeah, this is where I’d built my life.
What do you understand about this work now that you could only learn by doing it for more than 20 years?
You pick up on little things. You hear something that doesn’t sound right, or you see the line doing something a little differently, and you just know to take a closer look. I don’t think somebody can really teach you all of that. A lot of it just comes from being around it every day.
What goes into doing this work well that people might not see from the finished product?
Probably more than you’d think. You’re watching the equipment, checking quality, paying attention to safety, talking to the people around you. It’s not just standing there doing the same thing over and over. There are a lot of moving parts, and everybody has to be paying attention.
“ I like knowing the job was done right. That’s what’s always mattered to me. ”
What gives you the most pride in what you do?
I like knowing the job was done right. That’s what’s always mattered to me. And now that I’ve been here as long as I have, I probably get just as much out of helping somebody newer figure things out. It’s good seeing somebody get comfortable with the job and knowing you helped them along.
How has the work changed since you first started here, and how have you had to change with it?
Oh, it’s changed a lot. There’s a lot more technology and automation than when I came in. Some of the things we used to do one way are completely different now. You either learn it or you get left behind. I’ve always tried to just keep learning and not get too stuck on how we used to do things.
What have the people you’ve worked alongside taught you about doing the job well?
That you need each other. That’s probably the biggest thing. Nobody knows everything, and everybody brings something different. I’ve had plenty of times where somebody caught something I didn’t or showed me an easier way to do something. You learn pretty quickly that the team matters.
What stands out to you about the way people work together at Evermark?
A lot of people here have worked together for years, so you kind of get to know each other’s habits. You know who’s good at what, who to ask when something comes up. Sometimes you don’t even have to say much. Everybody just knows what needs to happen and gets to it.
What has being able to do this work over the years made possible for you or your family?
It gave us stability. That’s probably the biggest thing. I was able to raise my kids, buy a house, take some trips, just do the normal life stuff without always wondering what was coming next. When I think back over the years, this job has been tied to a lot of those moments.
When you think about the younger people coming into the plant now, what do you hope they learn from people who have been here as long as you have?
Ask questions. Pay attention. Don’t come in thinking you’re supposed to know everything right away, because none of us did. Learn from the people around you, but also be willing to learn the new stuff too. If you show up and take some pride in what you’re doing, you can make a good life out of it.
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