This month in the blog, meet Stephanie Dean, Manager of the Production Support Group. Stephanie has held many support roles at Omega before becoming Manager of one of the most important groups in the company. Her group helps keep products flowing smoothly between departments and ensuring we have what we need to ship customer products out the door on time. Despite all her responsibilities, she has a sunny disposition and great attitude! All the time outdoors keeps her grounded for sure. Read on to learn more about her!
Describe your position and a typical day:
I offer support to production planning, purchasing, shipping, receiving, inventory and spectroscopy. I help to prioritize work, determine capacity and lead times, track jobs in each production stage and determine when they will ship, issue materials to shop orders and move them to the next production step, request quotes for raw materials, determine re stocking levels for raw materials, assist in other departments as needed. My days are always full of variety, never a dull moment.
What led you to Omega and why Omega versus other options?
I came to omega to try something new. I didn't know anything about optics, and was a little intimidated at first but I was (and continue to be) fascinated by the products we make.
What do you like best about working at Omega?
The people here are my favorite. I've never been around a group of people so passionate about what they do and excited to share what they do with anyone who's interested. Everyone is really proud to work here. It's a very close knit, family type atmosphere and we all work well together as a team.
What have you learned since working at Omega?
So much! I started working here as a receptionist in the accounting department and then moved on to inventory, shipping and receiving and then from there to purchasing and production planning.
What Omega project has been your favorite and why?
One of my favorite projects this year was 5S'ing and reorganizing the inventory area. It was a lot of work, but the end result was totally worth it. It looks so much better now and promotes better workflow. (Thanks to Raychelle for coming up with the vision and to everyone else who helped us move!!!)
What advice do you have for those pursuing a position in your field and/or at Omega?
If someone is willing to teach you something, take the time to listen and learn. Take in as much information as you can, don't be afraid to ask questions and think outside the box. Anyone interested in pursuing a career at omega should definitely do it! If you enjoy learning, you'll never be bored here.
What do you enjoy doing outside of work?
I have 2 dogs that I love dearly and they keep me busy (Brady, a mini Australian shepard and Addison, an Australian cattle dog), gardening (flowers and veggies), visiting Maine, thrifting, cleaning and organizing (I know, I'm weird!) Exploring the great outdoors, beach combing, landscaping, hiking, reading.