As Felling celebrates 45 years of manufacturing trailers, we continue to look back and see how much our company, along with our employees have grown. Many of you may already know the story of how Felling Trailers started as a small fabrication shop in downtown Sauk Centre in 1974. Continuing to add to this story, we invite you to read our “Grow with Us Series – 3.” Here you will meet the people of Felling; we will share a bit about the people that have played a part in what our company is today and where we will be tomorrow. Some of the people you will meet have been with us for many years, some decades, and then others are just starting their careers with us. To continue our series, we would like you to meet Sheri Leonard, the Human Resources/Safety Coordinator for Felling Trailers, Inc.
Sheri Leonard
Human Resource / Safety Coordinator at Felling Trailers
Name: Sheri Leonard
Status: 17 years
Title: Human Resources / Safety Coordinator
Sheri joined the Felling Trailers Team in 2002 as a college student looking for a flexible part-time job that would work with her college class schedule and would also fulfill an internship needed to earn her associate’s degree. “I chose Felling Trailers, Inc. in 2002 due to the fact that they were open to working with my schedule and internship needs and I knew that I would be looking for full-time in the future,” said Sheri. Sheri’s initial position with the company was as the Receptionist where she handled general office duties from answering incoming calls to filing, data entry, and more.
From a Part-Time College Job to a Growing Career
Once Sheri had finished her schooling she stayed on with Felling, and her position grew into additional administrative and accounts receivable duties. “They have trained me since my start date and always helped me to grow. They have given me opportunities to be an asset to myself along with being an asset to the company. I really enjoy working for a family-owned company where I feel I am part of that family,” said Sheri.
As Felling Trailers Grows, so does Sheri’s Career
Around 2010 Sheri was asked to take on the responsibilities of Safety Coordinator for Felling Trailers. Felling was growing; trailer sales were on the rise, along with the number of employees and manufacturing space needed to build them. “When I started, there were only about 60 people total working for the company, today there are over 250 employees. I remember the shop being added onto and then a couple of years later being added onto again,” said Sheri. As the size of the company and staff grew, so did the task of scheduling safety training, maintaining documentation, guidelines, procedures, and more. Safety had always been an essential piece in Felling’s manufacturing process, but with the company’s continual growth it needed additional coordination, which Sheri has done very well with.
“When I started, there were only about 60 people total working for the company, today there are over 250 employees. I remember the shop being added onto and then a couple of years later being added onto again,” – Sheri Leonard
Growing into Human Resources/Safety Coordinator Role
In 2012, Sheri was offered the position of Human Resources/Safety Coordinator, with this role change she would be stepping away from the Administrative and Accounts Receivable roles she had played for many years. Deciding to move on, Sheri said she chose to do so because; ” I wanted to better myself, be more challenged, be part of Felling Trailers, Inc.’s growth and success.” The company’s growth continued on with the implementation of a night shift in 2011, then adding a second manufacturing location in Litchfield in 2012, and then in 2014 adding a weekend shift to the Sauk Centre location. With multiple shifts and locations keeping a full employee roster can be consuming. Sheri works with production supervisors and department leads to gauge where the recruitment needs are and how best to retain qualified employees once they are hired. The combination of the Human Resources and Safety Coordination mesh well as they have a tendency to cross over into one another and require the knowledge of many laws and regulations. Wearing many hats, Sheri does a great job; from providing new employee orientation, to assisting an existing employee with benefits information, then switching gears to facilitate safety training for 200+ team members. We are glad to have her as part of our team. Thank you, Sheri!
Are you interested in becoming part of the Felling Team? Learn more about a career at Felling Trailers and grow with us!
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