Ed Huber, this month’s Employee Spotlight member, is one of the best examples of what taking advantage of opportunity looks like.

Ed has been with Arandell for over 36 years now and has worked his way up through the ranks to now being one of the top leaders in not only our production facility, but in the entire organization. As you’ll read below, Ed has become such a well-respected leader in the organization because of his work ethic, his positive attitude and willingness to jump into something new without
hesitation.

These key attributes have provided Ed with a phenomenal breadth of knowledge when it comes to the print industry as well as the inner workings of Arandell, which made him a great candidate for this month’s Employee Spotlight. Here’s more about Ed and why it’s important to take advantage of new opportunities:

 

What’s your name, job title and department you work in?

My name is Ed Huber and I’m the Quality Control Manager here in the Quality Control department at Arandell’s Menomonee Falls headquarters.

 

Tell us more about your background.

I originally started working at Arandell part-time on the weekends as a jogger in 1983. Back then, the only way you could get into Arandell was if you knew someone. Luckily, my wife at the time was the secretary for the VP of Manufacturing and her dad worked in the plate room so I was able to join the team. I was doing some other random part-time jobs including being a color mixer for car paint and a DJ at a skating rink before I started at Arandell full-time. I was actually going to college for Accounting in 1983 when I decided that joining the workforce right away was a better option at the time.

Over the past 36 years, I’ve spent five years as a jogger, five years as a roll tender, 18 years as a 2nd pressman and also
filled in when needed as a 1st pressman for three of those 18 years. All total I spent 22 years on 3rd shift, eight years on 2nd shift and six years on 1st shift.

In 2012, an opportunity came up to move into the press office as a color technician (today’s QC analyst), which I accepted with the idea of advancing my career from press to management. In 2013, Arandell combined the supervisors and color techs, which made me one of the 2nd shift press supervisors. After six years of press supervision, I became the QC Manager in 2018 and developed the current QC department, team and program from the ground up.

It’s been a crazy journey but I’ve enjoyed my time here because of the people I work with, the security of the company and the direction we are headed. I realized there are plenty of opportunities to grow, as we are constantly updating our equipment and of course Arandell has presented me with a vehicle to provide a decent living for myself, my 3 kids and 5 grandkids.

When I originally started, we only had three presses, we grew to seven and now have six. So in all, I have seen 12 different presses come into an ever-expanding building. We’ve always had a growth mindset here and that growth has always presented opportunities and amplified my desire to be a part of the Arandell team.

 

What are your day-to-day responsibilities?

As the QC Manager, I lead a team of six analysts in the QC department. I also have started taking more responsibility in leading the sample room personnel and processes and will continue that responsibility going forward. 

In QC, our main responsibilities are to do color ok’s in the pressroom by helping guide customers to match color proofs and achieve perfect color. Basically what we do is ensure color samples match the original creative proof the customer supplied us and ensure that color for the duration of the run. We check for print defects to ensure that the samples we send to customers are the very best print samples in the industry.

In the Sample Department, a lot of work goes into the early stages of the printed samples. I assist our outstanding sample department in ensuring we are selecting the highest quality samples guaranteeing a customer experience that no other printer is able to replicate.

 

What do you enjoy most about your job?

It’s different every day and I never know what I’m about to walk into every morning. I’d say the most rewarding part of my job is when my team is successful at giving a customer a great experience. It’s even more rewarding when a warm “thank you” comes back to us from the customer as well.

 

What do you like to do for fun outside of work?

I spend every weekend up at my cottage in Goodman, Wisconsin on Lake Hilbert. I have several ATV’s, a side-by-side a pontoon boat and some snowmobiles that I still enjoy playing with during the seasons. I have made numerous improvements to the property since I bought it and plan to retire there someday.

In the past, I coached Germantown baseball for 25 years and went from coaching t-ball all the way up to the junior varsity level. But in 2010 after receiving an offer to coach the varsity team, I decided it was time to retire from coaching and concentrate on my dream up north.

 

Do you have a favorite vending machine snack or drink?

Everyone in the QC and Sample department knows I drink the White Monster Zero Ultras every day. With 20-25,000 steps a day, I need every ounce of it! Sometimes two!

 

What’s your favorite music to listen to? Do you have a favorite band or artist?

I listen to all types of music, I’m just not big on heavy metal or hardcore rap. Other than that, pretty much everything in between is okay with me.

 

Favorite TV show or movie of all-time?

I watch a lot of football and am sorry to say someone got me hooked American Idol, but that’s pretty much it. Don’t watch a lot of TV.

 

Final Question: How do you define success?

Success is a hard thing to define because it’s a moving target. We sometimes look at success as a status or a goal. But the statement I would use to define success can have so many different meanings for so many different people. To me, success is not a goal but a journey – a journey of charging forward and only looking back to teach and remind you of what you should or shouldn’t do in the future. If you live every day to be the best person you can be, then you’re successful in my mind. In my mind the only way you can fail is if you have nothing but regrets, constantly complain and have a negative outlook on life in general because that’s not productive. What is productive is continuing to move forward and getting better each and every day.


That’s it for this month’s Employee Spotlight! For past Spotlights, feel free to check out our Company News page. For everything else, be sure to stay tuned into our News & Events page.