RIPON, Wis. (SPECTRUM NEWS) — It’s a busy time at Alliance Laundry Systems.
The company is seeing strong demand for its products months into the coronavirus pandemic.
“Parts of our business are just soaring. People need clean laundry, maybe more now than ever,” said Brad Nye, vice president of operations. “The equipment we build is kind of out there on the front lines and helping people have a healthy environment. We also sell a lot of our equipment to military bases and a lot to fire departments, so we have a broad business that supports a lot of really, really essential folks out in the world.”
You’ll also find their products closer to home under the Speed Queen label.
Alliance is working to fill about 65 production positions to help build washers and dryers at its Ripon operations. The key attributes they’re seeking in prospective team members: a good attitude and willingness to learn new skills.
“We will teach people everything they need to you. You just have to come to work on time,” Nye said.
Starting pay is $16 an hour with a $1.25 shift premium available to people on second shift, said Jennifer Witt, manufacturing human resources leader.
“We also provide our new team members with a $1,500 dollar sign-on/retention bonus that’s paid out throughout their first year of employment,” she said.
New employees get a week of orientation followed by one to four weeks of on the job training — depending on their job.
Nye said manufacturing has changed from the images many people hold of dark and dirty work environments.
”If you haven’t looked at manufacturing as a career in sometime you ought to take another look,” he said. “It’s clean, it’s bright, productive and really a team atmosphere where folks are working together and solving problems and make the next minute or moment better than the last.”
That includes people like Mindy Hoppa who has worked at Alliance for about a year, filling in as needed in different jobs on the production lines.
She said it’s satisfying knowing she’s helping build machines that in many cases are helping front line workers in hospitals, fire departments and the military.
“It makes me really happy that they can use our product and it will run for years and years,” she said. “They can call customer service, they’re right there. We’re going to be there to help them just like they’ve been helping us.”
Information about careers at Alliance Laundry Systems can be found here: https://alliancelaundry.com/who-we-are/careers/