Winter Ames

Product Manager

Washington Penn

I actually applied to intern here. When I went to school at Penn State, Washington Penn came up, but I ended up interning at a competitor. So from the get-go, I've always wanted to work for an Audia company. I've held various Technical & Commercial roles in the Plastics Industry, and then 16 years later, here I am. I've spent my first year as the Product Manager for Appliance, and have recently moved into the Product Manager position for Consumer & Packaging.

The Product Manager role suits me because I get to work with cross-functional teams every day. I’m always working on something different. This keeps my days interesting, and I can honestly say that since I started no two days have been the same. I enjoy having that change. In order to excel in this position, you need to have excellent time management while also being flexible. You have to prioritize your workload.

I will say by far, Washington Penn is the most ethical company I've ever worked for. I started in research and development, so I knew all formulations and product details from a competitor, but at Washington Penn, it was made very clear from the beginning, that anything I'd learned or used while I was at the competitor stayed there. I appreciated this more than anything. I vividly remember someone saying

        “And no one's going to be poaching you for information. And if they do, tell us.”

Washington Penn definitely practices what they preach. This is huge because many companies will hang their values on the wall, but don't actually follow them or live them where Washington Penn actually does.

Washington Penn is committed to helping its employees excel both in and out of the workplace. There's growth within the company, as well as opportunities to further your education, to train for new skills, and to focus on personal development.

I've never worked in a better environment. Coming from a publicly-owned company, there is a noticeable difference in the way that they treat their employees.

You come here and you can tell everybody cares about you; and they not only care about you, they care about your family as well. It's so refreshing. Every single person during my first week said "If I can help you in any way, just let me know. Reach out." And all I thought was, this is amazing.

The people are fantastic here. They have so much knowledge and are willing to share it with you. They're willing to lend a hand and will help you in any way they can.

And that's my favorite part of the job, it's the outstanding team that I get to work with every day. The Washington Penn team has been the most welcoming, supportive, and knowledgeable, group of people with whom I’ve had the pleasure to work with.