Family is InGrained in Sukup: The Lang Family
May 3, 2023
As Sukup Manufacturing celebrates 60 years, we reflect on the families working at our family-owned and operated business. There are many employees who work alongside members of their own families, and we want to recognize some of our working families.
Meet the Lang Family. There are five members of their family working together at Sukup. Aside from years spent working with the Sukup brand, they say they are grateful for all the memories they are making at the Sheffield site. Esther Lang, mother and Gavin Lang Sr., father, work with their son, Gavin Lang Jr., their daughter Holly Massee and Holly’s husband Jacob Massee.
Esther is a Machine Operator for Sukup. During her time here she has experienced the true Sukup family culture that we work to promote every day. She says, “Charles walks through and he goes, “Hi Esther,” and calls you by name and Steve does the same thing and they always make sure to ask you how you’re doing.” Her husband Gavin Lang Sr. had been retired for 12 years when Eugene Sukup reached out to him and asked if he’d be interested in spending part of his time working at Sukup. Gavin Sr. figured, “Well sure, it would give me something to do.” Gavin Sr. also told us he believes that if Sukup wasn’t a family-owned and operated company he would not have had this opportunity to come back to work, “especially at my age, I’d never get a job anywhere.” Gavin Sr. has experienced firsthand how working at a family-owned company can provide you with owners that do their best to look after their employees in every way possible.
Jacob and Holly’s love story actually started within the walls of Sukup. Jacob was working in the West Building, while Holly was working at Weld Set Up and one day their paths crossed, and they began dating. They eventually got engaged and are now happily married! Holly not only likes working closely with her husband but also likes the peace of mind it gives her working with her whole family in one location, “It’s really nice having my parents and my brother here, cause if something were to happen, we’d know where each other are.” Jacob now spends his time working in the Beam Building and Holly now works in the Material Handling Building. Holly says, “As long as we keep doing what we need to do I have total comfort level that the Sukup’s will take care of us.”
Gavin Lang Jr. has worked in many different areas throughout the Sukup company. He started out in Material Handling, then made the transition to the West Building for a few years and has now found his comfortable spot as the Shipping Supervisor. From his experiences in the different departments he says, “There’s room for opportunities, there’s so many different things to do here that if one thing doesn’t quite workout, then that doesn’t always mean it’s the end of the road, you can go somewhere else and try something out.”
Sukup was founded on a family culture and that is something we work hard to keep going within our walls. We are always looking to grow our family! If you're interested in joining the team and experiencing this culture for yourself, simply apply on our website, https://www.sukup.com/careers or text 641.892.8161.
To read more about families working at Sukup, click here.
