Working for You

Dave Smafield, Press Operator

Great work catches people’s attention, no matter how new you are. That’s exactly the story of David Smafield, the new press operator and this quarter’s Employee Spotlight.

Although David has only been working with STL for a year, he has made a big impact. Coming from a background in distribution and shipping leadership, David quickly become an asset in the rewinding department. His hard work and dependability caught the eye of both team members and supervisors instantly.

“David is great to work with for his easygoing attitude, willingness to be flexible, and his careful attention to detail,” says Derek Brandon, Production Manager for STL.

For the last four months, David has been training for a brand new position as a press operator. This is an especially important position as the machine he works on is in preparation for major upgrades that will save production time and waste. David is excited about the changes and is loving the challenge of keeping up with the demand.

When David isn’t working, he’s enjoying the beautiful Oregon scenery—usually from a mountain top. Climbing is one of his great passions, and he took time off before coming to work at STL to travel to Europe and cross some special climbs off his bucket list. He was able to climb Mt. Olympus in Greece as well as Mt. Fuji in Japan, and has also taken on Mt. Hood and Mt. Adams a little closer to home.

Originally from Illinois, David has done his fair share of traveling. Still, he says that Oregon is feeling more and more like the place he wants to “put down roots.”

“I lived in Florida for a while, but it was hot all the time, and the beach gets boring day after day,” he says. “Portland looked like a nice town. Walkable. I spent every day after work the first year just hiking and looking at waterfalls.”

While David still loves the natural beauty, he’s also come to appreciate the finer cultural aspects of the Rose City. Specifically, he says how much he loves to relax and see a movie at McMenamins Edgefield, where you get the silver screen experience plus some of the best local brews in town.

More than anything, however, David says that he just loves where he’s at right now, both professionally and personally.

“I’ve been here in Portland for over 10 years and STL for a little over a year,” he says. “I really like the atmosphere. And it makes work better when everyone is nice.”