It is with great pride that we introduce Steve Ellison who is the Production Manager at AirPark Plastics, the sheet extrusion affiliate company of Vantage Plastics. Steve carries a great deal of plastics extrusion knowledge as he has worked in the field of extrusion for over 30 years. He got his start with a Spartec Plastics division in Clare, Michigan where he worked for 16 years. When AirPark Plastics was formed in 2007 Steve was hired in and has worked there since its inception for roughly 15 years. While at Spartec, Steve moved up quickly from stacking sheet to a supervisory position. After transferring to AirPark he started as an operator, moved quickly to a lead operator, and finally to his current position.
Steve grew up in the Clare/Farwell area and attended the Farwell Schools where he met his “high school sweetheart” Lisha. They married shortly after high school in 1988 and have three children, a daughter named Shaylyn, a son named Curtis, and another daughter named Lacey. They have also been blessed with five grandchildren. Both daughters remain in the Clare area and son Curtis is now working with Steve at AirPark Plastics. Three years after joining AirPark, Steve and Lisha sold their home in Clare and purchased a place closer to Standish to reduce his drive time. They now have a secluded forty-acre parcel on the north branch of the Pine River. Steve describes their property as a super pretty place with ridges where the fall colors are beautiful. He says it keeps him busy growing food plots and trimming trees. Since deer abound it also helps feed his passion for hunting. He says he is currently dealing with some busy beavers that are building dams creating a backup in the water flow.
Prior to getting into plastics extrusion, Steve had a variety of different experiences in his career. As he was growing up, he learned some of the intricacies of farming as he worked as a farmhand. After graduating from high school, he joined the Army and spent three and a half years at Fort Lewis Army Base in Washington State in the light wheeled vehicle mechanics motor pool. There he worked in a five-person group inspecting vehicles before they were sent to The Desert Storm operation. Steve describes his time in the military as a big experience as he learned a lot, got to do lots of traveling, and got to shoot a lot of different guns. After his stint in the military, Steve worked for a while on pipelines carrying oil and natural gas here in Michigan. While working on the pipelines in the Kalkaska area he said he saw a lot of elks. After the pipelines, he also took a night-time position at a Meijer grocery store cutting meat.
In regards to his career at AirPark Plastics Steve says he really enjoys the people he works with and he likes being a part of all the growth the company is achieving. He especially likes how the AirPark extrusion operation is attached directly to the Vantage Plastics thermoforming production operation. This not only allows for fast logistical response times but also allows him to get immediate feedback on how AirPark’s extruded sheet is performing. Since projects involving material innovation are often in the works Steve says he greatly enjoys seeing these very interesting new materials and derives a lot of fun from the challenge of trying to figure out the extrusion settings needed to run these new materials for successful outcomes. As a team member, we thank Steve for his military service to our country and for helping to fulfill the AirPark and 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.