Coworkers call Amanda Slowik a “ray of sunshine” who brings a megawatt smile and positive energy to work every day. Her philosophy is that a simple smile or compliment can make someone’s day, which she feels fits into Sentry’s employee-owned culture where everyone can bring more of themselves to their jobs.

“The people make Sentry Equipment. They’re positive, grateful for new experiences and take pride in their employee-ownership,” she says. “All of us care about everything we do because it truly makes an impact on both our customers and ourselves as employee-owners.”

As a Material Handler, Amanda pulls parts for customer orders and stocks jobs, usually 2-3 days ahead of the required schedule. This proactive approach allows her to be flexible to the needs of other departments, since her job impacts the scheduling of the shop floor. She occasionally also supports the receiving department on busier days, and she appreciates this variety and flexibility in her workday.

“I really love the people I work with on my team, but I also like the variety of opportunities I have. From pulling parts to helping on special projects, I get to see many aspects of the shop floor,” she says.

In her role, Amanda strives to be exceptionally accurate while continuously improving processes. The more detailed she can be, the smoother the project will go and the faster the product can get to the customer. Her biggest challenge is keeping this level of accuracy in communication. However, she continuously strives to improve interdepartmental communications across both the office and shop, so everyone is on the same page and orders get the right parts every time. 

Amanda Slowik

Material Handler

Three things she’d take on a deserted island: “A tent for a place to stay, cheese because I’m a Wisconsin woman through and through, and a boat to get off the island.”

Dream job: “Working with people with disabilities. They often have such a positive outlook on life and being around them improves my outlook as well.”

Favorite book or movie? “My husband used to work at Blockbuster, so we have a huge movie collection. My favorites are the Harry Potter series, anything Disney (particularly Beauty and the Beast), and Star Wars. I also love the Harry Potter books and could read them over and over.”

Room to grow

When Amanda joined Sentry nearly two years ago, she was shocked by what she saw on the production floor – women.

“I was really surprised by the number of females out there,” she says. “I appreciate the gender diversity at Sentry Equipment that other companies’ shop floors often lack, and that we notice women’s achievements in such a male-dominated field.”

She says anyone coming into her line of work shouldn’t be afraid to try new things, even if it takes them out of their comfort zone. “It’s OK to be uncomfortable,” she says. “I’ve tried different projects and while they weren’t for me, I’m so glad I tried them. I learned that I could do and handle anything by putting myself in uncomfortable situations.”

These uncomfortable situations have also led her to an exciting life outside of work. Amanda grew up about 20 minutes east of Sentry’s Oconomowoc headquarters in Waukesha, where she was an avid Girl Scout. She’s still a lifetime member of the Girl Scouts and has served as a local troop leader as well as a Day Camp volunteer. She also loves watching movies, reading and volunteering at the zoo, where she got married.

Even with a robust life outside of work, working at Sentry has allowed Amanda to feel she has a career to be proud of, with plenty of room for new job opportunities.

 “While I’m happy where I am right now, I like that there’s potential for a variety of learning opportunities or positions to try,” she says. “I see Sentry as my ‘forever home’.”

Employee-Owner Profiles is a regular feature that highlights members of our team. As an employee-owned company, Sentry Equipment believes that employee ownership makes a difference. Our employee-owners are dedicated to hard work, positive results and continual improvement and innovation to provide our customers the highest quality products and services.