It is our pleasure to introduce our teammate, Todd Sisson. While Todd remains very humble by nature, he has eighteen years of experience under his belt at the Vantage Plastics family of companies. During those years he has filled several roles leading to a broad level of experience. After joining Vantage in 2007 Todd started as a machine operator gaining hands on manufacturing know-how. Shortly after, he became a team lead on night shift learning how to manage a crew while keeping operations running. As a night shift team lead Todd stated, “I had to be a jack of all trades. At times I had to address everything from maintenance issues to jumping on a high low if needed. It was a challenge, but it taught me how important versatility and responsiveness are in manufacturing.” After the delivery of his first child and a desire for day shift, he became the team lead for assembly operations gaining a deeper understanding of the importance of lean design and logic in the layout of work. After his stint in assembly Todd returned to the role of a production team lead on the day shift. With all this hands-on experience Todd was then moved into the office as a Production Engineer. In this position he helped evaluate jobs before they arrived on the production floor so they could be launched into production as efficiently as possible. This position morphed into that of a Process Engineer. Todd’s journey is a testament to steady growth, hands-on leadership, and a deep understanding of our operations from the ground up.
“I had to be a jack of all trades ... but it taught me how important versatility and responsiveness are in manufacturing.
After the opening of a second production facility for the Vantage Plastics family at a newly renovated site in Bay City, Michigan a position for a Manufacturing Manager opened for which Todd applied and was chosen to fill. In this role Todd says, “I really focus on working with the team of people on the floor. I help the team leads focus on building up their shifts, driving engagement, and the building of skills and knowledge. I also focus on OEE, cycle time achievement, quality, and especially safety.” Since the Vantage family of companies has career pathways supported by a Learning Management System (LMS) Todd promotes people to embrace the courses to help advance their expertise and skills within our field of manufacturing.
Outside of work, Todd lives in Pinconning with his wife Rebecca and their three children: Rylee (7), Kinslee (5), and Corbin (almost 3). Together, they enjoy camping trips, especially to Michigan’s scenic Upper Peninsula. Todd is an avid outdoorsman who enjoys fishing for walleye, deer hunting, and ice fishing. When the weather warms up, you can often find him on his Tritoon boat in Saginaw Bay. He’s also recently taken up golf, playing in a league at White Birch Hills in Auburn.
When asked what he likes about being part of the Vantage team Todd says, “During my 18 years it has been exciting to see the continual growth year after year. It seems that new capabilities are added every year. I’ve seen the introduction of assembly, a tool shop, new machines, expansion of extrusion, the addition of injection molding through Lotis Technologies, recycling through Edge Material Management among many other areas of growth. I enjoy being a part of that.”
During my 18 years it has been exciting to see the continual growth year after year.
Todd’s journey is a perfect example of how dedication, flexibility, and a strong work ethic can shape a meaningful career. He continues to help fulfill our mission to Form Better Lives, Form Solutions, and Form Sustainable Futures—not only through his work but through the leadership and integrity he brings to our team every day.