Sue became a full-time employee at the Melrose dairy plant in 1983, working in a variety of roles before becoming the facility’s quality team lead—a position she still holds 27 years later.
“Every job I did in the plant, I was a relief person. That way, I could learn more jobs and wouldn't get bored,” she laughs. “I learned all seven jobs in the lab then got my certification. That's how I got the job I'm doing right now.”
Today, Sue starts her shift at 2:30 a.m. She leads a team of seven employees working 10-hour shifts in the quality production lab, testing things like moisture, fat, solids, salt and pH levels—a critical quality step before the bulk cheese goes out the door.
Sue is not only a veteran Dairy Foods frontline employee, but a longtime consumer of Land O Lakes® products. “I see how our cheese is made. I know the strict process it goes through here in the plant,” she says. “I buy it to feed my family, so it's got to be safe.”
Forty-seven years later, Sue has no plans to retire anytime soon. “I love my job,” she says. “These guys all know me well, and I'm not ready to leave them behind just yet. When I'm ready, they'll know.”