Tim Kilcher

Profile of Team Member – Tim Kilcher

“Building an exceptional company is the result of building exceptional teams with exceptional people.”

Team 1 Plastics, a plastic injection molding company for the mobility industry, has been and continues to be a successful company because of our exceptional team. Today, we will introduce one of these exceptional people, Tim Kilcher, as we continue a series of articles profiling our team members.

Name: Tim Kilcher

Current Position: Engineering Specialist V

Date of Hire: 8/21/2017

What is your favorite story or memory during your time working at Team 1?
Tim’s favorite memory occurred shortly after he began work at Team 1 Plastics in August 2017.  The occasion was Team 1’s summer picnic that was held on the company grounds.  He said that he had decided to attend and bring his two youngest children with him because he thought it would be fun for the kids.  Tim said that he was surprised at how much he personally enjoyed the picnic because of how well his kids were welcomed.  “Being so new at Team 1, I knew some people but didn’t really understand the environment.  Everyone welcomed them.  Even Craig [the company co-owner] came over and was talking to them and just hanging out with them and having a genuine good time with them.  It was good to see that with the owners and the rest of the Team Members.”

How has Team 1 helped your personal and/or professional development?

It’s being able to be “involved in meetings and understand the bigger picture” that has helped Tim in his professional development.  He explained that at his previous employment, his knowledge was limited to his job function, and he was never given an opportunity to know what was happening overall at the company or why things were happening.  That isn’t how Team 1 functions.  Each month, every Team Member is invited to the Open Book Meetings where the company’s financial reports are shared.  Tim said that he tries to attend every meeting as his schedule allows.  “I’ve never been involved in a company that says, ‘Here’s how we’re doing.’  Everybody sees where the company’s at.  I enjoy it because it gives us a fresh understanding, and that’s pretty cool!”

What is your favorite aspect of working at Team 1?

What a company’s environment is like is something that Tim said “is my biggest thing when I work at a place,” and it’s the positive attitude at Team 1 Plastics that is his favorite aspect of working at the company.  Tim said that at his previous employment, there was always feuding – employees not getting along with each other.  “I don’t sense that here.  There’s just always a positive attitude.  Everybody’s happy.  It’s an attitude of ‘We’re here to do a job.  So, let’s just get it done, and have fun doing it.’”

What do you want to share about your life outside of Team 1?

Tim and his wife, who have been married for eight years, have five kids in their blended family.  There are four boys — ages 16, 10, 6, and 5 – as well as a 14 year-old girl.  “They keep us all busy. There’s never a dull moment! We’re non-stop with their extracurricular activities.”  And, then there are the animals: three dogs, four cats (one inside cat and three barn cats), and two horses.  “We just recently built a barn for the horses to stay on our property,” Tim said. “We’ve got about 25 acres – five of it are pastured off for the horses.”  Tim said that he enjoys “doing Dad stuff and Husband stuff,” as well as running, fishing, and hunting.

Do you have any advice and/or encouragement for future Team 1 team members?

“Ask questions.  Don’t be afraid to try things, and never say, ‘No,” to somebody” is the advice that Tim offers.  He said that being in a shop environment can sometimes be overwhelming to a new Team Member.  “Ask questions from everybody, and if you try something, don’t worry about failing because that’s how you learn.  If you don’t learn, you don’t get better and you don’t succeed, and you can’t put yourself up to the next level. Be willing to step up to do what’s needed – no matter what the task – and learn from everybody and move forward.”

Now for a totally random question:

What item(s) do you most often misplace?

“My pen, pencils, or markers,” Tim said.  “Typically, I’m pretty good about where I put my things because my personal life has so many people in it.  I have to put my own things in my own area so I know where they’re at.”  Tim believes that his writing utensils occasionally disappear because someone needs to write something down and (s)he picks up the nearest writing utensil and innocently walks away with it – which prompted his own memory, “Actually, I borrowed a pencil from my co-worker, and I’m going to return it once I’m done with this interview!”