Editor’s Note: Another Mack is ME! post, this series spotlights the people and personalities behind our services. Check back frequently or subscribe to the feed, as these profiles will be interspersed with news updates on a regular basis. We hope you’ll enjoy getting to know us!
Congratulations, Betty, on an incredible service milestone — 46 years!
Name: Elizabeth (Betty) Babbin
Title: Finishing Leader, Cavendish plant
Her job? As finishing leader, Betty is responsible for tracking production on the finishing floor. She ensures that all parts needed for assembly are on hand, including those being molded. On any given day, she is responsible for employees working on five or more product lines.
Favorite Mack project: If Betty had to choose a favorite project that she has worked on at Mack, it would be her current product lines. However, choosing a favorite is very difficult for her. “I just like my job. I like what I’m doing and I like the people I work with,” she says.
Experience: Betty began working at Mack’s Cavendish plant in June, 1968, and has been a full-time employee there ever since. At the age of 18, Betty started her first full-time job as a third-shift molder in the molding department. From molding, she quickly moved into material handling, shuttling supplies between the warehouse and finishing floor. Ultimately, she transferred into the finishing department, where she currently works. A non-traditional student, Betty began taking classes after work at Vermont Adult Learning Center (Springfield, Vt.), proudly earning a high school diploma in 2009.
Changes in Mack: Having been with the company continuously for nearly 46 years, Betty provided some insight into the changes she has seen throughout her career. “Everything has improved,” recalls Betty. “We have better jobs, a better facility and we produce higher quality products.” Mack has gained new clientele throughout those 46 years. Along with the growing customer base, the Cavendish plant has expanded, adding employees and doing more assembly work than ever before. “Being here for so long, you see a lot of new product lines come in, but there are not a lot of product lines leaving,” says Betty.
Personal life: Betty was born in Springfield and grew up in Cavendish. She has five brothers and a sister who also still live in the area. Currently, Betty resides in Ludlow, Vt., with her husband, John. She has a son, Christopher, a chef at the Putney Inn, as well as a daughter, Jessica, and two grandchildren, Skyler, 17, and Jesse, 6, who reside in N.J.
Betty painted this mural for the Cavendish plant just in time for the annual housekeeping inspection, a lovely departing gift.
When not at work: An artist, Betty is often found capturing scenic Vermont landscapes on canvas. Originally working with graphite on paper, she switched to acrylic painting about nine years ago. “I saw my brother painting and wanted to give it a try, so I bought acrylics and like them a lot,” says Betty. In addition to painting, Betty also enjoys exercising, which she does regularly every morning before she heads to Mack.
Life after Mack: Betty plans to make the most of her retirement by filling her time with the activities she loves. “I’d like to do more camping,” she says. She also plans to invest more time in her painting. Who knows, someday soon you might even be able to purchase a ‘Betty Babbin Original!’
Please join us in wishing Betty the very best in her retirement!
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