Altek , Liberty Lake , Washington
Altek , Inc . is a 147,000-square-foot manufacturing institution in Eastern Washington . “ We are here for the quality of life ,” said the COO and 40- year company employee , Rick Taylor . Taylor came to Liberty Lake from Southern California 40 years ago with CNC knowledge that had yet to hit the Inland Northwest . Al Marzetta , the founder of Altek , called Taylor to find out what he knew and if he could help them move into automated machining . The rest is history , as Taylor will celebrate 40 years on April 1 , 2025 , and semi-retire from the business . He said he will continue to work from home on special projects , “ You don ’ t walk out of a company after 40 years and not go back .”
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The family-owned and operated company includes a variety of siblings from the Marzetta family — from Dave Marzetta ( the oldest ) working in MINDS-I , an Altek educational spinoff — to Mike Marzetta , president ; Andrea Marzetta Larson , organizational development manager ; Christopher Marzetta , program manager ; Tony Marzetta , program manager ; and Joe Marzetta , building superintendent .
Laura Suriano , production supervisor in the finishing department , has been with the company for 16 years . She enjoys the flexibility and encouragement she receives when managing her team and said it is a positive working environment with outstanding leadership .
Regarding industry diversification , she said it is crucial because , “ A diversified product mix is important to maintaining jobs for our employees . When there is a downturn in one business area , many other customers are thriving .” She added that surviving COVID was done through diversification .
Andrea Larson , organizational development manager , said effective communication , active listening , policies , accountability , job descriptions , collaboration , and training are essential for driving employee retention .
While an internal focus is critical , Taylor and others have formed external partnerships to build the business .