A Decade at Clickstop: Wendi Kafer
Today, we are celebrating Wendi Kafer’s 10-year work anniversary at Clickstop. Wendi has been a valued member of Clickstop since she started on our manufacturing team a decade ago. Over the years, she has seen our company grow tremendously and has played a significant role in our success.
Most memorable accomplishment
Wendi has had the opportunity to work on several big projects throughout her time, but one project stands out. Nylon lifting slings are commonly used in the trucking and rigging industry to lift and transport heavy objects. Clickstop’s flagship brand, US Cargo Control (USCC), offers a variety of products in that industry already. Lifting slings provided a new product and revenue stream for that brand. Seeing the opportunity, Wendi led the effort to add sling manufacturing capabilities to our Urbana, Iowa location.
“It was challenging and rewarding,” says Wendi. “Today, when I look out onto our Manufacturing floor and see that we’re sending these slings out to customers and have four people in that department, it gives me a great sense of accomplishment in that I’ve helped the company grow.”
As a result of the project, USCC now offers a wide range of lifting slings, including custom configurations, to meet the needs of various industries and drive revenue for Clickstop.
Is Clickstop really about these core values?
In addition to the projects she’s worked on, Wendi sees Clickstop’s core values as an essential aspect of her success at the company. “My first impression of Clickstop was, ‘this is going to be a fun place to work, but are they really about these core values they say they are about?’”
That’s a sentiment often expressed by candidates and new hires. Like most, Wendi got her answer early on. “Being here has shown me that, yes, we stay true to what we say in our core values.”
She feels the impact of those values most when it comes to her work/life balance.
“A lot of jobs I’d been in, you had to choose the company or choose your family,” says Wendi. “Here it has affected how I can spend time with my son. I’m able to go to his basketball games. I can leave early to make it to a game that is out of town. It’s been nice not to have to miss those moments because they are important to me.”
When we asked Wendi to reflect on how what has changed these past 10 years, a part of Clickstop’s mission came to mind: provide opportunity for those who seek it.
“If you’d told me 10 years ago that I’d be on Clickstop’s Quality Team, I’d have said ‘What are you talking about?’” joked Wendi. “There are no boundaries. Just because you’re hired in one area doesn’t mean you’re stuck there. There are always opportunities.”
As Wendi celebrates this milestone, we want to thank her for her contribution to our success. We encourage everyone to watch her video interview to learn more about her experiences at Clickstop.