Sandra Lane: administrative assistant and quilting queen

Sandra Lane flips through an intimidating pile of paperwork to find the exact documentation a welder needs to complete his project. She then wrestles with another stack of files to make sure a finished vacuum system ships with all the necessary paperwork and, catching her breath for a moment, uploads a software engineer’s approved request for PTO to an online timekeeping database.

“I’m never bored, that’s for sure,” she says, laughing. “But I like staying busy. It’s exciting to be involved in so many different aspects of our business.”

Sandra, who has served Vacuum Technology Incorporated (VTI) as an Administrative Assistant for twenty-four years, shoulders a diverse collection of responsibilities. In addition to helping employees keep track of their PTO, Sandra assembles paperwork packages for completed equipment and ensures any relevant quality control documentation has been filled out correctly. Sandra also assists Alan Long, a Lead Welder, with qualifying materials for VTI’s fabrication team. VTI maintains a stringent quality assurance program, and Sandra helps determine whether or not a vendor’s product conforms to the unique specifications of a customer’s project.

“A lot of my job is making sure folks are following the guidelines we’ve set in place for producing high-quality goods and taking care of different administrative tasks, like keeping track of everyone’s timesheets,” Sandra said.

Sandra started her VTI career in 1996 as a part-time, temporary employee. She answered phones, managed orders, and helped VTI’s leadership team streamline their administrative processes. After six months, VTI invited her to stay on full-time.

“I decided to keep working at VTI because I was learning a lot, and because I felt like it was a place with good opportunities for people who are willing to invest the time it takes to do their job well,” Sandra said.

As a full-time employee, Sandra began working closely with VTI’s manufacturing staff. Eddie Raby, VTI’s Director of Manufacturing, even taught her to read engineering drawings, which helped her assume a lead role in completing required paperwork for VTI’s welders, electricians, and machinists.

“It’s kind of like I’ve grown with the company. As VTI developed new capabilities, I learned new skills so I could contribute to those capabilities,” Sandra said.

Growth is important to Sandra. She loves to learn, and she’s always looking for the chance to tackle a fresh challenge. In her free time, she enjoys quilting with her daughter and spending time with her husband.

“VTI is a really good place to work for someone who values variety in their workday. I’m excited to see what I get to learn next,” said Sandra.