Applied Materials

The benefit package in the USA is hard to beat. For the most part, the company as a whole appears to be ethically sound. From an environmental standpoint, in the USA I have only seen good, honest practices. Employee safety from the company's view is also looked into; they also have good practices for the most part.

I've witnessed middle and lower management push employees to work in unsafe conditions in the labs in order to save time and money. I believe middle and lower management need to be held accountable for trying to implement a safer workplace.

They should have to "show their work," so to speak. It is up to each and every employee to create a safe work environment. With that being said, only management can make others follow the safety rules.

Applied purchased the company I worked for about 5 years ago. It had $200 million in sales per year. After our purchase, disassembly, and reassembly to better align with Applied, the former company struggles to generate $30 million per year. This equals the loss of many, many jobs, which is devastating our community.

Please ask and listen to your employees.

We have implemented all of your requests as to how you want this business unit run. Without resistance and happily, we have conformed to all of your requirements.

When we were acquired, our little, tiny mountain town company did 200 million in revenue yearly. Since then, our sales have plummeted; we are lucky to do 30 million in sales per year.

I was with the original company and applied for 18 of the 20 years I was part of a team that watched our company grow from 15 million annually to 200 million in revenues.

Please sit down with the employees you still have and start the conversation about:

• How were you able to stay so close to your customers and satisfy them?
• What made sales easier then compared to now?
• Has Applied implemented any changes that make your jobs less efficient today?

That's just a few questions to start with. I would invite anyone who has been there 10 years or longer.

Before our merger with Applied, we rolled out and released new products all the time. This is nothing new for the staff. It seems pretty evident the plan in place today is not working. We should be looking back at what was, take what we need from it, and implement it, combining from the past and present.

Applied has many great ideas and solutions as to how to run a successful business, that is evident. We just need to tweak it a little in order to make it work for both of us: Applied on the business (revenues) side and this wonderful community (the Flathead Valley).

In 2009, STI employed 1100 people in the valley. In 2015, I would bet less than 300.

I would discuss this with anyone from my former employer. I always enjoyed my time at Applied and truly loved the people I have worked with, some of the most talented people on the planet.