Today we’d like to introduce you to John Consolazio.
John, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
After graduating from Schurz High School in 1973, I struggled through two or three semesters at Triton College before deciding to get into the workforce to make some money. I was called with two job opportunities on the same day – one was for Flying Tigers (freight carrier) and the other was for Warner Lambert Company. I chose Warner Lambert to interview with and was hired on May 25th, 1975 as a warehouse worker.
The Warner-Lambert Co. manufactured and marketed pharmaceutical, consumer healthcare, and confectionery products, including such staple brands as Listerine antiseptic mouthwash, Chiclets gum, Halls lozenges, Certs mints, Rolaids antacids, and Schick razors.
Warner Lambert had just opened a new distribution center in Elk Grove Village and since I got in on the ground floor and there were opportunities. I started at the bottom as a trailer loader, but after only 3 months I became a warehouse lead. In 1990, I was promoted to operations supervisor responsible for the conveyor operations.
In 2000, Pfizer purchased Warner Lambert and immediately removed all the pharmaceuticals from our DC leaving us with all the OTC products. For the next 5 years or so, not much changed and life was good. Working for a pharmaceutical company for 33 years paid very well and had pretty much insulated us from the heartaches of recessions. Our company stock fund (now called a 401k) had done very well during the Warner Lambert and the Pfizer years, splitting many times. During this time I met my wife (at Warner Lambert), had 3 kids, bought a house, and earned a BA from DePaul University attending school at night. I also became the Sr. Operations Manager.
Somewhere near the end of 2006, word came down that Pfizer had sold the OTC division to Johnson & Johnson. This was the sale that would change the lives of everyone working in our building and in 14 months our facility in Elk Grove Village would be decommissioned and we would all lose our jobs. I worked in the same building for 33 years with many of the same people and we all grew up together, becoming a family. In February of 2008, our doors were closed. I really didn’t have any idea how much of a life-changing event this would actually be. Although I would always be working, the next four years would be very difficult for me. I went from working in one building with a family environment for 33 years to 3 jobs in 4 years.
In 2012, my luck changed for the better. I had been in my current position at the time for 2 ½ years as the material manager for a large hospital network in the northwest suburbs. I successfully put into operation a new central distribution center designed to centralize inventory and daily operations previously performed at 4 hospitals. This position was working out well until the hospital was purchased by a larger chain and my position would be eliminated.
The good news was that I found Makita USA. After several phone and in-person interviews, I was hired as the DC manager and I knew rather quickly that this would be my last stop of a long career. I inherited an operation that had many opportunities for me to use my knowledge and leadership while creating my own “family” along the way.
Working for Warner Lambert/Pfizer was more than a good paying job, it was a truly rare experience and working in the pharmaceutical industry made us very regimented, detailed, and supported by many procedures we created. This company is where I started my career and my school of life. I was exposed to leading-edge technologies, outstanding leadership training and “Respect for People” culture that you don’t find in a lot of companies. I had many role models along the way but none more influential than my Site leader, Dan Walter. Dan was a mentor and friend that helped me understand what professionalism really was; I learned so much from him and I will always be grateful for that. Even though we had to work very hard, we were given the resources we needed to succeed. We had an excellent work environment with career advancement opportunities. Workplace culture allowed us to try new things. I had the privilege of working for two Fortune 100 companies that were always at the leading edge of technology and actually walked the talk when it came to respect for employees. This culture and experience almost worked against me for a long time. I could and would never be able to find anything remotely comparable to Warner Lambert and Pfizer and It took me 4 years to realize that I have to make my own memories and build my own family. Makita has been that family that has taken me in and given me the space to be successful.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
When our building was decommissioned after 33 years, it was difficult for me to find any job that met the standards that I was used to- this was a problem. It took me over 4 years and the right company in Makita to realize that I needed to create my own path and stop trying to relive the past.
Working through the Y2K threat was a great experience that made us very familiar with testing and recording.
Please tell us about Makita USA.
Makita is a Japanese manufacturer of power tools and outdoor power equipment. I am the Distribution Center Manager of their central distribution center servicing the Midwest and Northeast regions. Makita is known for the quality of their tools. I have people stopping me all the time when I have my Makita shirt for telling me stories of how long they’ve had their Makita tool. I am proud that they make such a good quality tool.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
I’m a baby boomer, so life was much simpler as a child. Summers seemed to be endless and we were out of the house all day playing baseball or riding bikes. Growing up in the city, my favorite memory was sitting on our front porch with family and friends after dinner; would get people stopping by all through the night. My grandparents and cousins all lived in the same neighborhood.
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