Meet Angie Walker

It is our privilege and distinct pleasure to share this story about Angie Walker. Angie is an Operator 2 at Vantage Plastics and has had an interesting life’s journey on her way to Vantage Plastics. As an Operator 2 Angie serves in a support role on the production floor. This important support role involves everything from trimming, handling, and applying labels, to stacking products in units for the material handlers. The role requires attention to detail and quality. Angie will have been at Vantage for two years come this July of 2023. Angie brings a very uplifting positive attitude to our team at Vantage Plastics. She aptly describes herself as being: “very determined.” She says she doesn’t ever like to give up and says her father told her: “If you don’t respect yourself don’t expect others to respect you either, but you also have to have respect for others.” Angie says she likes to be appreciated and also likes to appreciate others and it shows through her actions every day.

Angie was born and attended school in Auburn, Michigan where she lived with her family until 1990. At this time her father Larry purchased an 80-acre farm in Esty, Michigan. This required transferring to the Pinconning Schools where she graduated from high school. After graduating from high school she got married and followed her husband to Texas where he was stationed after joining the military. Given her young life and the challenges of maintaining a relationship with her husband in the military, the marriage ended fairly soon after arriving in Texas. However, she remained in Texas for another 26 years where she held a variety of jobs including serving as a waitress at a barbecue restaurant for 10 years, mowing the grass at a cemetery, prepping and sanding cars at an auto dealership, among a few other jobs. During this time, she entered into another marriage and faced new challenges as it led her into some very non-favorable and destructive lifestyle pathways.   

In time Angie found the church and shares a testimony of its transformative power. She credits it with shining a light upon a new life-giving pathway. She attributes her church attendance to opening a door to a new life born in hope, peace, and clarity. She attributes this to turning her life around. Due to this experience, she became very involved in her church serving in many capacities ranging from being a pre-school teacher to mowing the lawn and cleaning the church.

Then came the year 2020. First, her mother Stella back in Michigan died on Palm Sunday during a surgical procedure on a shattered femur as a result of a fall. Later in the year, her husband George who had been fighting cancer succumb to it leaving a void in her life. She had been diligent in taking him to medical appointments and providing him with care and support. After the death of her husband, she decided to move back to Michigan to care for her father and to help him with work on the 80-acre farm. Not being fond of sitting idle she came to an open interview event at Vantage Plastics the week after her return to Michigan and was offered a position.

Angie says it was very challenging when she first started at Vantage Plastics and also says: “It took a couple months to condition myself to the work.” She shares this advice with new hires and encourages them to hang in there while telling them it gets easier in time. She said there were times during the first few weeks when she didn’t think she could make it but given her tenacity, she hung in there and now is used to the pace and finds a good deal of enjoyment in the work. She says she really likes the people at Vantage Plastics and always tries to do her best while working. She states that; “I feel I was given a favor by God in finding this position.” 

In her spare time outside of work, Angie likes to hang out with friends and cousins. She also loves to listen to music. She is a big fan of classic country, classic rock, and Christian music. She remains active in her faith journey and church attendance. She also says that she likes to save money and follow her investments. She is very happy with the Vantage Plastics 401-K plan and the matching contributions made by the company. She says: “I am taking full advantage of this benefit in preparation for a good retirement someday in the future. After the recent pay raise, I decided to increase my contribution to the 401-K.” As a team member, Angie has certainly been helping fulfill the Vantage Plastics’ Mission of Forming Better Lives, Forming Solutions, and Forming Sustainable Futures. 

At Vantage Plastics, we have the expertise to sort through all the options for the right solution for you. And if your needs are specialized, we can custom design the right solution for the job. Contact Vantage Plastics to get your questions answered.