West Michigan Guys - need some help
 

Hey West Michigan folks - need a little help here. I'm applying for a job over in Holland, MI, and I'm trying to do a little research on the company. Problem is, the position is through an executive search firm (headhunter), so I don't have the company name. All I know is that it is a Fortune 150 company, it's 53 years old, with 95,000 employees, and it is located in Holland.

My initial thought was "Amway", but I'm pretty sure they are located in Grand Rapids, and their parent company is in Ada. Any other big companies over in Holland?

Many thanks in advance!

Johnson Controls Inc. aka JCI ?

Maybe - are they that big? I'm reworking the old resume right now, maybe get some of the West Coast boating goodness :) heh- they probably wont' even call me back :(

Prince Corporation???

Kaama, what do they do? Make spaghetti? ("Wednesday is Prince spaghetti day...") :D

aren't Prince and JCI one and the same ?

Rambunctious or Waterfowl should be able to help you with this one.

JCI bought Prince a few years back...They are the only company that I can think of that large in Holland.

Good luck with the job!

95,000????maybe 9500....Gentex?Royal Plastics?

could be Magna Donnelly

I was thinking if it is 95,000 that may be about right for Johnson Controls worldwide employment...

The ad reads "95,000 employees on six continents". Could be JCI, as I thought the ad said "headquarters" but it only says "located in Holland"

Hmmm... gonna finish the resume today and get it out to them, maybe I'll be seeing some of that west coast action :)

I didn't see Johnson Controls on the Fortune List:
This may help narrow it down.

http://www.fortune.com/fortune/fortune500

I would look between fortune 100 and 150...
Because any lower and they would have said fortune 100.

Baja Daze,

Great minds think alike - I was looking at that earlier. Johnson Controls was in there, I think, just can't remember where. I'm probably getting way ahead of myself anyhow. One step at a time - though if this works out, we'll move to the West Coast and I can check out all those bikinis and whatnot that Nort keeps talking about! Woo Hoo!!! :D

Duh! My bad! It's in at 86, I spelled it wrong the first time...
Anyway, good luck! :cool:

Sounds like JCI to me. They are worldwide. If you find out more let me know and I will bird dog it for you.

JCI
 

Has to be, Gentex is to small.

Magna/Donnelly is in the GR area.

This would be at the old Prince HQ, so you would be working in Automotive Interiors. But you probably know that already given you live in Detroit (DA-TWA to the French).

JCI is our competition since I work for a company named after a corporate jet. Good luck and hope you get the job.

Wannabe

PS which headhunter co. is doing the search?

I had a nice long disertation typed in and my computer crashed!! So this time I'm gonna keep it shorter. Maybe....:rolleyes:

The compnay you are interviewing with has to be JCI. It is the largest employer in Holland, and our worldwide emplyment is around 95,000. There are some companies owned by JCI that do not say JCI on the sign, mostly in Europe where name recognition is a factor with some OEM's. They would rather buy from a European company. Oh well.

If the interview you have is for a company "headquartered in Holland, MI" it is with our ASG group (Automotive Systems Group). It is located in what used to be Prince Corporation buildings. VERY nice facilities believe me, I've been to many of our suppliers, competitors/joint venture companies, and many, many OEM's and our facilities are better than nearly all of them. JCI consists of three basic units: ASG, Batteries, and Controls (HVAC, lighting, controls, etc... for large buildings/stadiums/etc...). JCI itself has it's World Headquarters in Milwaukee, WI.

As for the boating in the area, it's AWSOME. Lake Michigan is nothing like the choppy, shallow Lk. St. Claire. JCI has a boat club (there is a post with our scheduled runs including our 3rd annual Poker Run). Rambunctious and I are the only JCI employees at OSO (that I know of anyway). We make runs to Saugatuck once a month (more if we are so inclined!!) from Holland. Lot's of fun!!!

The company is very strong. While most of the large area employers were laying people off (Steelcase, Herman Miller, Haworth, etc... even Donnely) we were hiring. We hired a lot of the people layed off at the aformentioned companies. Our stock is a best buy if I'm not mistaken, and has maintained it's price on the NYSE thru all the economic turmoil. It seems to hover around $75 or so. I wish it would go down so I could buy some more!!! You could do a LOT worse than gaining employment with our company. We do work a lot of hours (ask Rambunctious about the corporate hours, I work at the plant and do about 50-55 a week currently).

If you come to Holland for an interview, let me and Rob know......maybe we can do lunch or something.

Mike

Guess that wasn't all that short!! :D

Thanks for the info, Mitch and 'Foul - I'm sending the resume and cover letter out tonight, we'll see what happens. I'm pretty psyched, though - it sounds like the position is tailor-made for my skills and history. But then again, what do I know?

If it does shake out, I'll let you guys know, and I appreciate the background.

No sweat. Be sure to keep us informed!!

And since you are currently boatless (judging by your avitar signature) consider yourself a guest on my boat if you ever make it out here. We'll go for a blast across Lake Macatawa and into Lake Michigan. But give me about 2-3 weeks to get the motor back together and in the boat. :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :mad: :mad:

Doc Rock....
we gotta act fast, the first sea100 run is end of may. you need to move over here, buy a boat, and............


seriously, send me an email of your resume. the positions available are with my colleagues. we discussed the interviewing schedules this week. some offers out, still interviewing. want people with experience, as the ones we have interviewed lately are a little green, although talented.

i may be able to skip a couple screenings for ya!!!!!
the positions i refer to are product engineers for automotive interiors. hope that fits


trust me. if things pan out, you will love living on the west side. and working here in our awesome environment. I grew up hear, moved to detriot, worked at Ford, and GM and moved back. haven't missed detroit for 1 second!!!!!
I drive 6 miles to work and can even make it home for lunch if i want, 21 minutes to lake michigan, with the boat in tow, and snowmobile out my polebarn and on to 256 miles of groomed state trails, not to mention awesome deer hunting, turkey hunting, out my back door, and fishing on the big lake (not with the offshore boat though)

[email protected]

if your personality is anything like your red signature/quote, you will fit right in nicely:)

Rambunctious, you got mail...

Rambunctious:
 

Any openings in Purchasing?

I spent 7 years doing purchasing for your competitor.

Wannabe

You sure it wasnt 95,000 cutomers? I was thinking a wooden shoe company :)

By the way, any openings for a cop with investigations and forensics background?

purchasing, I'll check

wooden shoe factory closed last year :(
but we still make grand father clocks, and lots of furniture around these parts.

and there are still plenty of us dutch folk around.

investigative police work.. we don't have much crime.......except some met labs deep in the allegan woods....:rolleyes:
if I see anything, i will pass it on though...