People Make it Possible: Cathie Grove
On a sunny afternoon when other people are at work, you might find Cathie Grove taking a scenic ride through Central Pennsylvania on her motorcycle. She likes that her typical 12-hour shift schedule at First Quality allows her to have days off during the week to enjoy a leisurely ride with her husband.
For the past 4 years, Cathie has been a Machine Operator at the First Quality plant in Lewistown, manufacturing diapers. She joined the company because she was looking for a positive workplace that offered growth opportunities.
“I always say joining First Quality is the best decision I ever made,” she said. “It’s a team environment where people really care and help each other out, and management is invested in our development.”
She says a pinnacle moment in her career happened last year when she accompanied several First Quality colleagues on a trip. While Cathie calls it a “trip of a lifetime,” the group didn’t travel for the sightseeing. They were there to learn.
Learning new technology to make everyday essentials
Cathie and her colleagues visited a company that makes leading-edge technology for bladder control pads. The First Quality group was there to learn everything they could about the technology before it was installed as part of a new bladder control pad production line in Lewistown.
“We actually got to work on real production lines that use the technology, and get our questions answered in real time,” she said. “It’s a fairly complicated process so learning from the experts made me feel better prepared to train others.”
Now she is helping start up the new line in Lewistown, manufacturing First Quality’s Prevail bladder control pads that include a MaxSorb+ Zone™ gel core for rapid absorption. While her mid-week motorcycle rides have been temporarily put on hold to accommodate the startup schedule, she’s excited to be making a new hygiene product at the plant.
“My niece and nephew have always worn First Quality diapers, and many people depend on bladder control pads in the same way,” she said. “It feels good to know that here in Lewistown we make products that people use every day.”
About First Quality
First Quality is a closely-held diversified group of companies manufacturing, selling and distributing branded and private label absorbent hygiene, paper and packaging products into the healthcare, retail and commercial channels. First Quality is dedicated to meeting the demands of the market by providing innovative and high-quality products manufactured utilizing state- of-the-art technology. For more information, please visit www.firstquality.com.
Media Contact: media@firstquality.com