Celebrating 25 Years: Steven Mitchell’s Journey of Pride and Potential
With great experience comes great responsibility and after 25 years at ALULA, Steven Craig Mitchell has certainly earned both.
Over the past 25 years, Steven has taken on a variety of roles and responsibilities, growing from a production worker into a Material Handler and now working as a Production Associate on the weekend, C Shift. He has been part of C Shift for about four years and does a little bit of everything to help keep production moving.
If you ask Steven about his favorite part of the job, there is one answer that comes quickly: driving the forklift.
In the past couple of years, Steven earned his forklift certification and completed his “Train the Trainer” training, giving him the skills to help teach others how to safely operate a forklift.
He is not finished learning yet. Looking ahead, Steven hopes to learn how to operate a blender. He jokes that he knows just about everything else, and running the blender is the next step in his journey.
Steven’s connection to ALULA began more than 35 years ago. In 1989, he was an ALULA client and found a job with General Electric through Supported Employment. When General Electric eventually closed, Steven temporarily moved away. In 2001, he returned to ALULA, this time as an employee.
For Steven, his career is about more than the roles he has held. It is about having a place where he has felt supported, valued, and part of a family.
“ALULA has always been a family to me,” Steven says. “They opened their arms to me.”
From helping him find employment as a client to supporting him through some of life’s hardest moments, ALULA has been part of Steven’s journey for decades. Along the way, he has watched TVS grow and evolve into ALULA while continuing to grow himself.
“I’m proud to tell people what I do and our mission,” Steven says. “I want to make sure we’re remembering what all of this is for.”
As ALULA prepares to celebrate its 60th anniversary next year, Steven is proud to still be part of the story.
When he is not at ALULA, Steven stays busy working as a Lyft driver on his days off, playing video games, and spending time with family and friends.
Twenty-five years in, Steven is still learning, contributing, and looking toward what comes next. With a forklift certification under his belt and a blender in his sights, there is no telling where the next chapter might take him.
May the fork [lift] be with him.
