Kim Thumm

To kick it off, can you tell us how long you have been with the company in Saint Joseph?

It’s been a while. (laughs) I started in 1990 so it will be 34 years in December.

I always joke that the age when I started becomes younger and younger every year. Eventually I’m going to say I started when I was 10.

What’s your official title?

Human Resources and Quality Manager

When you say quality, can you explain what all falls under that?

I was looking for more of a challenge and to learn more about the printing process. Phil Archer and I started talking about Quality and it made a lot of sense. I have learned a lot about quality errors, how they happen and what’s considered to be within standards. I learn more every day, and I love the challenge it provides. The Quality Supervisor reports to me, and she has two employees who report to her. They manage the whole sample process, making sure our customers get good books. They look at each book that is going to the customer to make sure it meets all our quality standards. They are a very efficient and effective team.

How many years have you had the HR role?

I’ve been in HR for 33 years, so most of my career has been in HR.

What different roles did you have with the company, prior to joining HR? You worked in a few different departments, right?

Yes, when I started here, I was young, not even 21, and went to a temp agency and they placed me here. I really didn’t even know what I wanted at the time.

I did some typing and work for estimating. I typed quotes on a typewriter and then faxed and/or mailed them to the customer. Then I started doing some work up front, answering phones, etc., and some clerical work with HR. That piqued my interest, and I started taking some classes and here we are today.

Can you explain what all is involved in your HR role today?

In HR, I’m dealing with everything in the employee cycle – recruiting, interviewing, hiring, onboarding, employee relations, reviews, discipline, employee event planning, etc.

What is it about HR that led you to the field?

Honestly, when I was young, I wanted to work in the medical field. I never saw myself sitting behind a desk. I pretty much fell into HR and really liked the work. It is something different every day.

It’s challenging at times and that makes it interesting.

You were here when the company went through the transition of going from IPC to Walsworth. What was that transition like? And when you think back on that time now, how do you feel the company has evolved and how has your position changed? 

It’s changed a lot. (IPC) was originally a privately held, family-owned company and then Journal Communications purchased us two or three years after I started. Things are very different in a publicly held company. The culture was very different.

Then with the Walsworth acquisition, there was some uncertainty in the beginning, but going back to having a family-owned culture has been incredible. The Walsworth family cares about the employees as individuals, not just the person doing the job.

My position has changed in a lot of ways. I’ve added more responsibility along the way.

When people visit the facility there in St. Joe, they often rave about how impressive it is and how the operation runs. Can you talk a little bit about the pride people seem to take there and what Walsworth means to the community?

It’s a privilege and an honor to be part of the St. Joseph leadership team. I work with a great group of experienced managers who take pride in what they do. It means something to them; they all want to do a good job, and I love being part of that.

That sense of pride starts at the top. Employees respond to the behavior of their leaders.  We all take pride in what we do and therefore so do our employees. We try to make all visitors feel welcome, and we think that’s a big deal for our customers too.

With the company’s plans to continue to grow and be successful, from your perspective, what do you think will allow us to do that? 

Being family owned is a big thing. People want to be part of that. We need to share that message as much as possible and let people know that’s who we are. When we go to job fairs, it’s one of the things we tell people.

When you guys go to job fairs and you’re trying to recruit, particularly younger people, what is their perception of the printing industry? How do you sell Walsworth?

Honestly, I don’t think many younger people know a lot about printing. To them, it’s just another manufacturing job. A desire to learn and mechanical ability help a lot. Working in the print industry is a trade that can carry them through life. We will teach them what they need to know. There are many opportunities in the print industry.

I’m not in the minority when I say that I’ve been here for 34 years. If you look at our Milestone Awards list, there are many people who’ve been here between 30 and 45 years. Our average length of service is around 20 years. That means something!

What are Walsworth’s strengths, in your mind, that help them provide long careers for so many people?

Our values say it all. We try to incorporate those into our daily routines. People can make a career here, if they want it. Walsworth cares about the employees who work here. Everybody is welcomed here, and hopefully made to feel like they’re part of something special.

In St. Joe, you all do a great job with employee recognition, which I’m sure helps with retaining great employees and recruiting. Can you share some of what you do?

As far as service awards go, we have our Wall of Fame. We have group photos from the Milestone Awards event, from each level. Employees and visitors both really like this wall. Customers appreciate that we take care of our employees.

The token program is something we created for employees who go above and beyond in their job. A supervisor or manager can give an employee a token, and that token can be used for Walsworth logo items. It’s huge. Our employees love the program. The recognition closet has things like t-shirts, jackets, umbrellas, lawn chairs, etc.

We also have a package we give away when we meet our Quality and Safety goals for three months. All employees are entered into the drawing and get additional entries for being on a committee, great quality catches, etc. It’s all about engagement. So far, we’ve given away a camping package and a tailgate package. Right now, we have a movie package.

What types of things typically earn tokens?

Anything they do that’s above and beyond their job responsibilities – staying late with last minute notice, helping in another department, etc. They can also get a token for taking care of a safety-related item and for Quality catches.

Tell us about life outside of work and your family. Are you from the St. Joe area? 

I grew up in Berrien Springs, which is about 15 minutes south of here. I moved to St. Joseph when I met my husband, Mike. We’ve been married for 28 years.

We have two grown children, our son Corey, who is 26, and our daughter Haley, who is 21. We also have a 2-year-old granddaughter, Brynlee, plus two dogs and a cat.

Is all of the family still there in the area?

Yes. My son lives just a few miles away, and my daughter, her fiancé, my granddaughter, the two dogs and the cat are living with us. Our house is never quiet.

What about hobbies outside of work?

I love to spend time outside. I love being in the pool, lounging on a raft and reading. That’s my downtime.

I didn’t have much time for that this year. Because our granddaughter is living with us, the pool has become more about family time. Brynlee loves to swim and play in the pool. But I love to spend time with her – she’s a lot of fun.

Watching my son race is my newest hobby. He races cars at a dirt track about 20 minutes from here. It is exciting and scary all at the same time.

I also love to attend concerts. I have a few of those on my bucket list too. Billy Joel for one, and I’d love to see Aerosmith again.

You mentioned books. Do you love to read? Do you have a favorite book?

I love to read pretty much anything, as long as it’s not sci-fi.

Do you try to always have a book going?

I try to, but it doesn’t always work out that way.

You’re also actively involved in fundraising and local charities, correct?

Yes, I’m the co-chair of a committee that was started by my best friend. After she passed, we decided that we wanted to continue it to honor her. It started as a breast cancer fundraiser, and we have expanded it to include all cancers.

We took a hiatus for a few years due to COVID, but we decided it was time to bring it back. This year’s event will be held on Oct. 19. We raised $55,000 the last time we held the event.  We work with a non-profit agency, and then split the money between the non-profit and another cause. This year, the money we raise is being split between Pennies from Heaven and Hoops for Hope.

And you always make a point to donate to local charities, right? 

We want to keep it here locally and help people in our area who are living with cancer. It’s become very personal to me as I’ve lost three friends to cancer in the last three years. It’s devastating. We want to help people as much as we can and not necessarily put the money into research.

What types of fundraising events have you organized in the past?

The event on October 19 is a formal event with dinner, entertainment and live and silent auction. We used to do a few golf outings a year, our formal event, a pub run (that one was a lot of fun), and a semi formal event.

What’s one thing about you that most people might not know?

I already said I’m a grandma, so I guess I can’t say that. When I turned 50, I went skydiving.

Did you enjoy it?

It was thrilling but I’m not sure I’d do it again. It was a bucket list item. I suggested it to one of my best friends and she was 100% on board. I didn’t have time to really back out of it because it all happened so fast. In fact, there were only a few people who knew I was doing it. I didn’t tell my family because I didn’t want them to try to talk me out of it.

What’s the next item on the bucket list? 

I’d love to ride in a hot air balloon because I’ve never done that. And there are some trips I’d like to take – Hawaii, Greece, Australia.

Has there been a trip or a vacation destination that’s been your favorite?

We went on a cruise for our honeymoon and that was a lot of fun. Girl’s trip to Florida was one of my favorites. A couple years ago, we went to Tennessee and rented a cabin and spent a week in the mountains. The whole family went, and we had a great time.

Do you have a favorite movie?

Yes, Purple Rain! I probably saw it 100 times in the late ‘80s.

I also love the holiday movies on Hallmark when they come out. But they’re starting to come out earlier and earlier. I don’t think we’re ready for Christmas yet. (laughs)

Favorite meal?

I love a good steak. And seafood.

If you had a personalized coffee mug, what would it say? 

“It is what you make it” or “Grandma.”

Do you have a favorite memory from your career?

I like planning the fun events that we have, like the Milestone Awards. I like recognizing employees.