WE ARE SCI

For Marlene Stuart, working at SCI for 34 years has meant working side-by-side with her family.

Both literally and figuratively.

“I grew up here, and the company has been really good to me,” says Marlene, a Supervisor in SCI Production Control. “This is a family company, really. You’re family by different mothers.”

Except in Marlene’s case, the definition of family runs even deeper than that. Among her 600 or so coworkers at SCI, Marlene has plenty of actual relatives – a daughter, niece, nephew and an aunt who retired a few years back after spending more than four decades with the company.

But then there’s her other family – those people who have made the transition from coworkers to friends to a kind of workplace kin, sharing stories over the years and watching each other’s children grow up, from kindergarten all the way through college.

Together, the two sets of families provide a clear picture of what has kept Marlene with SCI for more than 30 years.

“It’s the people,” she says. “There are some people that just become your family.”

‘An Asset To Our Company’

Marlene’s SCI career began in October of 1983, when she accepted a job as a Wave Solder Operator at SCI’s old Plant 2. Three years later, as her mother was preparing to leave the company, Marlene moved to the back dock in Receiving and stayed there for nine years.

SCI later created another role for her in Expediting, and Marlene eventually climbed the ladder in Production Control from Associate Planner to Senior Planner to Supervisor.

“Marlene has made a big difference in every department she has been a part of,” says Lisa Campbell, Production Control Manager. “She has the ability to talk to people and make every situation a win-win for everybody by just simply listening and giving solid direction on what needs to be done. Marlene is an asset to our company.”

Extended Family

As a supervisor, Marlene has learned that while listening might be simple, it’s an important part of being a manager. It’s also something she’s learned over the years from her own experience with her leaders.

“Everybody’s opinion counts, and you listen to them. That’s the key to being a manager,” she says. “You listen to your employees and you see what drives them and what their needs are.”

Away from SCI, Marlene says she loves to work in her garden and backyard – especially in the summer, her favorite time of year. She also spends time with her large family, which includes five children and (so far) nine grandchildren.

Of course, for someone as welcoming as Marlene, nearly anyone can become an extended family member. Even the new coworkers she hasn’t met yet.

“There are so many new faces, and I want the new to stay,” Marlene says. “I want them to feel accepted here and want to stay and grow here, because there’s growth in this company. I see potential in these kids now. They’re going to be the seniors like me in 40 years, if they stay. And they will make it, just like I did.”