You Are Welcome Here: How an Immigrant Found a Home at Van Meter

Just over a year ago, I traveled over 8,000 miles away from my family and my home in Algeria for a new challenge in the United States. It was difficult to start over in a new place with different routines and horrible food (I miss my mom’s cooking!), but within a month of coming to America, I had found a new job at a place that feels like home. Check out how working for Van Meter has helped me adjust to living in a new country and discover a family away from home.

FINDING MY NEW TEAM

As a former teacher and coach, I know the importance of teamwork. I have a master’s degree in sports science, and in Algeria, I taught middle school and high school physical education. As a part-time job, I coached different age groups in soccer for more than eight years. No matter which age group I was coaching, my job was to help them play as a team.

The best part about working for Van Meter is that we work as a team. Cedar Rapids was my first stop in the United States, and I was staying in a Motel 6 near Van Meter’s headquarters. I saw the sign out front and visited the website to learn about the company and apply for a job. I started out working the third shift in the Cedar Rapids warehouse. Now, I am a traveling commodities team member and have worked in Kansas City for the last few months.

Whether we are pulling wire onto spools, picking and shipping orders or cleaning up the warehouse, everyone does their part. Van Meter has helped me adjust and meet new people. When I was in Cedar Rapids, we had barbecues and other meetings where we could introduce ourselves and exchange our culture.

Additionally, I work with another employee-owner who is from Algeria. It is nice to have someone I can share my home culture with, but I have also enjoyed getting to know a lot of people with different cultures, customs, religion and beliefs.

The people I have met at Van Meter are the same way. They are good people who are open minded and care about others. My family is still in Algeria, so it’s nice to have a family of coworkers I can rely on at Van Meter.

ADJUSTING TO A NEW CULTURE IN LIFE AND THE WORKPLACE

I came to the United States to experience a new challenge. How is living and working in the U.S. different from Algeria? Life in the U.S. is more organized, everything is scheduled and like I said, the food is tastier at home. That doesn’t mean work here is harder or more stressful though.

Van Meter is 100% employee owned. It is great because it makes everyone feel like they are working for their own company.

Not everywhere I have worked is like that. I worked at one other company before Van Meter where I felt a lot of pressure and spent the whole week waiting for the weekend. Van Meter is different because I don’t feel the same pressure. When you feel like you are at your own company (and you are!), it is flexible, and you are free to get your work done in the way that works best for you.

I want to come to work every morning, not just for my paycheck, but to help this company grow. It’s not just me. Every morning I enter the building or worksite, everyone is smiling, and it helps me get through the rest of my day happy.

BUILDING A FUTURE

I am married, but my wife is still in Algeria until we can get her paperwork completed. Once she is here, we can hopefully establish ourselves here forever. I am lucky to be working here, and hopefully I can continue doing this for a long time. Why? Because like I taught my coworkers to say in Arabic, “You are welcome at Van Meter.”