Staff Highlight

December’s employee of the month is machinist Jason Schlichter, who began his employment at Akkerman on June 1, 1995. Jason was nominated by his peers for being a leader, knowledgeable, prompt, and hands-on.

Nominated because:

Jason is an awesome employee and great worker.”

“He is very helpful with training new employees.”

“Jason has shown multiple recent examples of helping newer machinists on jobs.”

“Jason is always willing to share his vast knowledge of Akkerman parts, and is a leader in the machine shop.”

15th Akkiversary

Derek Akkerman joined the business full-time on December 8, 2008, becoming the first of the third generation to do so.

Derek worked as a “custodial engineer” and delivered parts during his high school years. After college, he gained experience in retail by working with OfficeMax, Walmart, and Aldi.

Derek started his career at Akkerman as a tradeshow and
events coordinator in the Sales and Marketing department. In this role, he managed the sales team’s busy tradeshow season by handling logistics, displays, and other sales collateral.

Currently, Derek serves as the corporate office manager, where he is responsible for answering phones, office maintenance, and special events and projects assigned by Justin.

Derek finds it rewarding “to speak with potential new customers over the phone and direct them to the sales team.” He is also pleased to be a part of a company where everyone takes pride in their work.

Derek is proud of what his father and brother have done for the company, and he is amazed at how far the company has come.

In his free time, he enjoys spending time with his family, watching movies, reading, playing games, and taking walks.

Golden Anniversary

From humble beginnings in a two-car garage, to a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility, Akkerman Inc. celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2023.