Since 1959, Strack & Van Til has been serving the Northwest Indiana area and providing high-quality produce and goods at over 20 store locations. Strack & Van Til’s legacy would not be possible without its past and present hardworking employees. A few current employees have worked at Strack & Van Til for 50 years, helping cement its long-lasting history in the Region.
Whether the employees have worked at Strack & Van Til for 50 years or worked at a store that was later absorbed by the company, resulting in a cumulative 50 years, Strack & Van Til holds its loyal employees in high regard. Produce Manager Mitch Harris originally worked for WiseWay starting in 1971 before it became a Strack & Van Til location.
Harris decided to stay at the store after the change in ownership and has since worked at a few Strack & Van Til locations. From there, he was able to climb up the ladder from utility clerk to part-time stocker to night crew in grocery to his current position as produce manager.
“The phone rang one day, and they called and offered me an opportunity to come and work on days. I jumped on it,” Harris said. “I started out as an assistant. Back in that day, there were quite a few produce managers, so openings didn't come up immediately. It was about four or five years before I became a produce manager.”
Before getting promoted to produce manager, Harris had an interest in and experience with produce dating back even before his time at WiseWay and Strack & Van Til.
“I went to high school at Calumet High School, and I went across the street and got a job. Before that, I worked on a farm in the summers, so I was handling produce,” he said.
Harris enjoyed growing with each experience at each store and meeting new people along the way.
Stocker Fred Kaldon experienced work changes similar to Harris. Kaldon began working for another company in 1970 that later transitioned into a Strack & Van Til store in the 1980s.
After starting on midnights stocking shelves, Kaldon worked in frozen foods and eventually landed his current shelf-stocking position. He credits his longevity at Strack & Van Til to the kindness and sense of community he experienced on the job.
“Everyone’s good to everybody, so everything goes well. I like my job. If you like your job, everything is alright,” Kaldon said.
Like Kaldon, Debbie Standish, who works in online shopping, cherishes the relationships she has formed with co-workers since she started working in 1973.
“I have made some very close friends. A bunch of us girls here go out for dinner once a month which is nice. The people are what keeps me here, and I'm dreading the day that I retire. I'll be crying, I'm sure,” Standish said. “I like my job. I'm close to retiring, but I don’t want to yet. I like the company. They have never done anything that would keep me away.”
Standish appreciates that Strack & Van Til puts employees first. She enjoys the Thanksgiving and Christmas luncheons, getting birthday and holiday pay, and incentives for perfect attendance. Most of all, Standish is grateful for Strack & Van Til enabling her to be present with her children. She and her now ex-husband both worked at Strack & Van Til when their children were growing up, and they were able to adjust their schedules to accommodate their lives so they did not have to pay for a babysitter.
“It’s helpful when you have three kids and sports and things like that. That was something that really kept me here,” Standish said. “I'm very comfortable here, and I love my fellow workers. That's why I'm still here.”
To learn more about Strack & Van Til, visit strackandvantil.com.
