Welcome to our employee spotlight series, featuring profiles on Matsuura team members. Get to know Matsuura’s Operations Manager, Cassie Yanke:
How long have you worked with Matsuura and what does your job entail? I was hired in February 2014, so almost 8 years now. It’s hard to define it as just one or two components. I am involved with the importing of our machine inventory, domestic shipping and rigging arrangements, purchasing accessories or retrofits for machine sales, coordinating the schedule with our distributors and customers for new machine installations, plus the accessories that go with them, researching proper customs procedure for unique import/export situations, personalized configuration of our ERP system, and any other “special project” that might come up. We are a fairly small team, so there are many tasks that don’t necessarily fall neatly under one person. If a situation arises that requires research, coordination, organization, or presentation, I usually am involved.
What is unusual or a memorable moment at Matsuura? I am involved in a wide variety of tasks, and I love it! Although I have some repetitive and predictable duties, the bulk of my day is spent dealing with something unexpected or unique. For example, last year we accepted the purchase of a few stock machines from a US company who wanted to install them in their Malaysian location. Investigating the logistics involved to ship these machines back out of the country (both physically and from a paperwork standpoint) was fascinating. When you consider the additional challenges that the global pandemic presented, it was a rather intense learning opportunity!
What is a career lesson you have learned thus far? There are going to be problems that come up and, most of the time, the person contacting you is going to think it’s the end of the world…and possibly take out their frustration or panic on you. If you stay calm and make sure they know you are making it a priority, you can usually resolve things pretty painlessly.
What is your favorite part of your role at Matsuura? Our team! I genuinely love working with everyone here. If I need help, information, or advice, I know that anyone who can help, will. We also have really high attendance to company events, and everyone has a good time.
What would you do (for a career) if you weren’t Matsuura’s Operations Manager? My husband and I both have a lot of experience in the food and beverage industry. I’ve always liked the idea of running our own Bar & Grill, but that’s a tough industry to succeed in.
What do you do when not at Matsuura? When I’m not taking care of my many pets and plants, I enjoy updating my house with various DIY projects, playing video games, reading, and hiking.
What is a fun fact many people do not know about you? When I was a kid, I wanted to be an astronaut, but then developed a fear of it thanks to pretty much every Sci-Fi movie EVER showing someone drifting off into space when their tether is cut/broken. I suppose it feels good to know I’m bringing in the machine, that is potentially building the parts, that are possibly creating the spaceship, which is then hopefully bringing astronauts into space. That’s close enough for me!
Learn more about careers with Matsuura at: www.matsuurausa.com/careers
