Meet Matthew Kaun, a Shipping & Receiving Clerk at our GWS-WI (Hartland) facility. Matthew has been with the company for an impressive 27 years – since he was a junior in high school! 

Matthew is part of one of our many family legacies at our facilities – his father has worked at the same location for 38 years! His first job was helping his dad milk cows on the weekends, and later he worked as a busboy while still in high school. His dad, George, knew the company was hiring and encouraged Matthew to apply. He started on the shop floor at the “wash and buff” station, working part-time on the second shift until he graduated high school, when he quickly switched to full-time on the first shift. 

Based on his experience helping with shipping packages on the second shift, Matthew moved to the shipping department – and hasn’t left since! Matthew has always had a passion for helping others, answering their questions, and watching others grow within his team. One of Matthew’s favorite parts of the shipping department is bouncing from task to task, securely packaging our tools, and racing against the clock to get everything shipped out for the day! 

Matthew takes customer satisfaction very seriously – he tries to go above and beyond wherever he can. His favorite shipping duty is laser etching the tools – he enjoys seeing the tools become a finished product, so the customer can clearly see what tool they have and are working with for their application. 

Even though Matthew has been with the company since it was previously known as Balax, he really enjoys being a part of GWS Tool Group. He says that there has been a real investment in both the facility and the employees. Not only was the physical structure of the building repaired, but the employees received greater benefits, higher pay, and the opportunity to grow and move throughout a much larger company. Matthew has had the opportunity to travel within GWS as a member of our auditing team, visiting other facilities while meeting and collaborating with fellow employees! 

LIFE OUTSIDE OF GWS 

Matthew has many hobbies and activities to keep him busy outside of work! For the past few years, he has been volunteering as a youth group leader every Sunday night for 30 high school sophomores. He has been able to go on two retreats with his group. He also volunteers at a local non-profit, where they collect, sort, and pack sneakers donated to send to Africa to provide people with shoes! 

Matthew loves to travel and his favorite place so far has been Montreal in Canada. He loves learning about other cultures and having new experiences, so this was a great chance for him to put himself out there. 

Matthew is very active and participates in a golf league every Monday night through the summer, as well as being an avid runner. He ran 290 miles last year and competed in both a 5k and an 8k race. 

Interested In A Career At GWS Tool Group? 

If you enjoy working with dedicated people like Matthew, consider applying to GWS Tool Group. We are always looking for talented and driven individuals to work at our facilities in Florida, California, Illinois, Arizona, Michigan, North Carolina, Wisconsin, and Canada. Browse open jobs here.