Meet the Team: John Tatton

It is our distinct pleasure to introduce John Tatton, the Manufacturing Support Leader at Vantage Plastics. John started working at Vantage Plastics as an intern on May 1st, 2017. At the time, he was a student at Saginaw Valley State University. Upon graduation in January of 2018, John accepted a full-time position as a Staff Engineer and has been on an upward trajectory since then. After being a Staff Engineer, he became a Process Engineer helping with robotics, work instructions, ISO processes, training, and becoming very familiar with our ERP system. After this, he was appointed to the position of Safety and Training Lead. In this position, John reimplemented a safety committee. He also took safety training courses and became MIOSHA certified as a level 1 and 2 general industry safety specialist. During training, John implemented a data collection process to capture near misses, non-recordable injuries, and recordable injuries, along with information on when, where, and how incidents were occurring. He then used this information to put an action plan in place focused on creating a safe working environment. Most recently, John has been appointed to a new position called Manufacturing Support Leader. This role involves overseeing and coordinating maintenance activities, safety, and training. John describes this role as a 24/7 position. When asked what he likes about working at Vantage Plastics, he said, “I like keeping very busy, and I love learning, growing, and expanding my knowledge so I become a more valuable resource. My time at Vantage Plastics has certainly aligned with this desire.”

When we turn to John’s personal story, we find a fascinating background. John was born and raised in Brazil. His father, Johnson, mother, Eliziane, sister Isabelle, and niece Maria Vitoria still reside there. John generally returns at least once per year to spend time with them and enjoy the food of Brazil. He especially likes his mother’s beef stroganoff and the renowned Brazilian steakhouses.

John first came to the United States as a high school exchange student, living with the Knoblock family in Michigan’s Thumb region through a J-1 visa valid for one year. He considers the Knoblocks his “family away from family” and continues to attend regular gatherings with them. Since his initial experience as an exchange student, John has carefully followed the complex legal requirements to enter and remain in the United States.

After high school, John decided to return to the U.S. to attend Saginaw Valley State University (SVSU), obtaining an F-1 visa for international students. This allowed him to work part-time during college and for up to two years after graduating. Since he earned an engineering degree, he qualified for an additional year of work under the STEM provision.

As his work authorization neared expiration, John entered the highly competitive lottery for an H-1B visa to extend his stay. When his number was not selected, he returned to SVSU to pursue a Master of Business Administration (MBA), which allowed him to remain in the country under a student visa while continuing to work. In 2022, he reapplied for the work visa lottery and was selected, receiving an H-1B work visa valid until 2025, with the option to extend for an additional two years.

John is currently in a serious relationship with his fiancé, Brianna Walker, and enjoying the life he has built in the U.S.

While John doesn’t have a lot of free time, he enjoys several things when he does. These mostly include outdoor activities such as biking, riding his motorcycle, going to the beach, and taking his dog to the dog park. He describes his father as being his hero role model as he bikes around fifty miles per day to keep in great shape. His father’s career has also been in engineering and management within the manufacturing arena. His father also introduced John to kite-surfing and model airplanes. John is currently building a large-scale radio-controlled model bi-plane. John has the dream of obtaining a private pilot license sometime in the future. While in college, John participated on the competitive model race car team. Most of all, he also greatly enjoys spending a lot of time with his girlfriend as they both enjoy the outdoors, cooking meals together, dancing, and, most recently, attending church together.

We are delighted to have John as a member of our team. He is a highly engaged teammate and integral in helping us pursue the vision of our team. As a member of the Vantage Plastics team, John Tatton has certainly been helping fulfill the Vantage Plastics’ Mission of Forming Better Lives, Forming Solutions, and Forming Sustainable Futures.

Experience the thriving work environment at Vantage Plastics, where positivity and professionalism flourish. Our exceptional team is the cornerstone of our success, and we invite you to be a part of it. Don’t miss out—apply today and join the Vantage Plastics team!