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MiMfg Magazine
November 2019
2019 MFG Emerging Leader
Cheslie Stehouwer
Continental Dairy Facilities • Coopersville
Manufacturing was never the career path Cheslie
Stehouwer planned to follow. She had the work ethic
to succeed in any career but it wasn’t supposed to be
in manufacturing.
“My degree was in criminal justice and I was
going to work as a probation officer for kids,”
Stehouwer recalled. “I realized very quickly that’s
just not something I could do for the rest of my life.
I took a job at Continental but I wasn’t thinking
that I’d be here seven years later. Looking back, I
can’t imagine doing anything else.”
Like so many, once Cheslie saw what manufacturing
was about, her focus changed.
“In manufacturing, you are creating something,”
Stehouwer said. “In our case it’s a food product and
being consumed by people all over the world. It’s
made by you and bought by your family, friends and
total strangers. I think you should take pride in
being a part of that.”
Her original role was as an administrative assistant
for Continental Dairy’s co-founder Steven Cooper.
From day one, Cooper knew it would only be
short-term — she had too much drive to stay there.
“Cheslie has such initiative and determination
that keeping her in her original role would have been
such a waste,” said Cooper. “Not that you could have
kept her there. She wants more responsibility and she’s
so motivated that her career arch could only ever go
up. But the thing that has advanced her here so quickly
is her willingness to come to me and say ‘Steven, we
need this or that to continue growing and I’m the
right person to do it’ and she runs with it.”
Described as the “cream of the crop,” Stehouwer’s
rise in responsibility and leadership has been meteoric.
From someone who began with zero industry experience,
she is now on the verge of running the marketing for
a $500+ million, multi-state operation as Continental
continues expansion plans for a sister location in Texas.
“The thing I love is how you just never know what
the day will bring,” Stehouwer explained. “Whether
you’re putting out 50 fires or reimagining a marketing
strategy from scratch or just have a great moment
with a coworker, there’s always something here that
drives me to want to come back better the next day.”
Initiative is something she’s always had. Never
willing to settle for less, she has a confidence in her
abilities that people with decades more experience
would lack.
“We can be in a meeting with representatives of
multi-billion dollar food manufacturers and she’ll own
the room,” said Cooper. “She has that confidence.”
The confidence is only helped by being in a
place where you know the leadership has your back
and wants to see you achieve your potential.
“If you have someone like Steve who will work to
give his people opportunities, then I think the only
thing keeping you from growing is a willingness to
ask for those chances,” Stehouwer said. “I think it’s
important for people — especially young women
— to vocalize when they want to do more. Never be
afraid to express your opinion. Be respectful but
don’t keep your opinion to yourself — they won’t
know it unless you say it.”
Manufacturing may not have been the original
plan for Cheslie Stehouwer but it’s an industry that
would be less without her in it and will benefit
greatly from what she brings to it in the future.
“The MFG Emerging Leader Award is really
just recognition that my boss believed in me. When
you get nominated for something, it’s a sign of
trust,” Stehouwer said. “If I could say something to
people just starting out and wanting to be in a
leadership role, I’d say don’t stop, don’t be content.
Keep pushing for more and do your best every day.
Your persistence will show through.”
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