People & Culture

Jun 15, 2020
5 Questions with Manufacturing’s Lester Sconyers

Arthrex Manufacturing Operations Manager Lester Sconyers admits Southwest Florida wasn’t on his radar when some former coworkers told him about Arthrex. Initially, he was drawn in by the idea of a company that would provide free lunch for its employees.

“I thought if [President and Founder Reinhold Schmieding] cares enough about his employees that he would buy lunch for everyone from the vice presidents to the people on the line, that’s worth an interview. And here I am.”

In this edition of 5 Questions, Lester talks about why people are what makes Arthrex a great place to work.

LesterSconyers

What does a typical day at Arthrex look like for you?


The fun thing about my job is that I have a hybrid shift. I’m on second shift, so I start my day at 1 p.m. and have a meeting with the rest of the operations managers. We have been discussing a lot lately the way to standardize how we do things, so we are rolling out the same message at the same time. It’s really been nice.

After that meeting, I walk around and do a meet and greet with my crew. Sometimes, we talk about what’s going on with work; sometimes we talk about our families; sometimes we just fist bump. It’s a great way to connect with people.

Once that’s done, I meet with the four supervisors I oversee. We talk about what happened yesterday, what went well and what opportunities we have today to fix any challenges we might have had. I see my job as empowering others. I want people to feel like they have what they need to do their job and do it well.


What do you enjoy most about your job?


By far, the thing I enjoy most is my connections with people. They make this business for me. These individuals work so hard to make people better. I have been in manufacturing for 27, 28 years. I started on the floor. But working for Arthrex these last three years has been so rewarding. This industry itself isall about enhancing a person’s life, it really gives me a different feeling about going to work.


What has been a highlight during your time at Arthrex?


Having the opportunity to move into this position. It’s more responsibility, which I like, but more importantly I feel that I have a greater level of influence to help make positive changes moving forward.


What is the best advice you’ve received throughout your career?


Treat every individual as you would want to be treated. If you do that, you will win in every respect.


What do you do in your downtime?


I love karaoke. I love it. I usually sing “Easy” by the Commodores or “My Girl” by the Temptations. I like the classics. I enjoy spending time with my wife of eight years, Jackie. She’s beautiful and we have so much fun together. And I love to fish. Growing up in North Carolina, I came from modest means and we would fish for anything that would bite. We would clean it, cook it for dinner or stick it in the freezer. Even now when I go home, no visit is complete without a large backyard fish fry with family and friends.


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