It was 11 p.m. on a Saturday night in late September when Valerie Lassing’s phone rang.
Upon answering the call, Lassing, Operations Manager for MPW’s Chesterfield (Michigan) Container location, was asked by a customer contact to assemble a team to clean 24 500-gallon totes the next day.
Unfortunately for Lassing, no MPW workers were scheduled to work that Sunday.
Despite the late hour of the request, Lassing knew it would be important for her to deliver for the client.
“We were essentially avoiding a costly shutdown for our client, which in turn was trying to avoid a shut down for one of its automotive customers,” Lassing said. “We were all about making it happen for them, no matter how chaotic the circumstances were.”
Lassing began calling MPW employees that night and put together a team.
Although MPW’s tote-cleaning line at this location normally includes 37 workers, Lassing’s team arrived around 8:30 a.m. and completed the cleaning project
around 4 p.m., satisfying the customer’s needs and avoiding all potential shutdowns.
“We had to have people trained for each job,” she said. “So, as I was calling people I had to plan on the fly, focusing on filling the positions needed. John Kurkules, who usually focuses on industrial cleaning work at the location, came over and was a huge help.”
MPW Senior Account Manager Curtis Pray said it was the first time in at least eight years MPW employees had worked on a Sunday at that location.
“Several people on the line had been cross-trained, so they were all performing the work of three or four people,” Pray said. “We’re extremely proud of the way this team responded quickly when the customer needed us.”
Lassing said the client’s personnel expressed gratitude to MPW after the team completed the project.
“Over the years, they have learned that MPW will help them whenever it’s possible,” Lassing said.