Abilene Machine has come to Solomon High School. Friday February 25, 2022, three Abilene Machine employees came to talk to the Senior 101 class to tell them about the different employment opportunities available at the company. Abilene Machine specializes in agricultural machines and parts.
The three who visited the class included Jerry Kriesch, who has worked for Abilene Machine for 20 years, Charles Cry, who has been there for almost 2 years, and Priseilla Abell, who has been there for almost 10 months. The trio was quick to note that Abilene Machine is a family oriented company which values its employees.
Abilene Machine has been in business for over 40 years and have managed to fare well through difficult times. Although many businesses struggled through the Covid-19 -pandemic, Abilene Machine continued to grow and have a steady income.
They are located in Kansas, Montana, South Carolina and South Dakota. In Kansas, it is a fairly large operation that covers 120 acres. Abilene Machine is family owned and is now becoming more modern. They believe that a work life balance is important and they really try to keep employee morale up by being flexible with their employee’s schedules. They keep their work groups small and make sure that you feel that you are not just a number. They believe that having a positive work environment is very important along with relationships between employees.
Abilene Machine has tuition assistance for those who are interested in a trade school. They also offer internships to get your foot in the door. Some of the things that set Abilene Machine apart is having competitive pay, giving incentive bonuses, providing PTO at 90 days, providing medical benefits at 30 days, and providing 401k for 5%.
This visit brought lots of positive news and some much enjoyed baked goods.
“It's cool that the Abilene machine is in Solomon’s backyard, and that they have multiple locations, and the cookies and gifts were great,” said Nevante Farris.
Additional reporting by Taytum Anderson
Photography by Luka Hayes