Meet Jon Gifford: October 2025 Employee of the Month

For many kids, trick-or-treating involves finding the right costume for the occasion, planning specific routes to pinpoint the houses with full-size candies, and, of course, maximizing results. It’s a lot of planning, but the payoff is humongous. This may sound odd, but KrisTech’s October Employee of the Month takes a similar approach to their job. This person is constantly looking for ways to improve systems and processes, brings the right people and tools together, and squeezes every bit of ROI possible each day. Thanks to their unparalleled approach to problem-solving, our Employee of the Month ensures KrisTech has as many treats as possible without any nasty tricks. Congratulations to this month’s honoree, Senior Manufacturing Engineer Jon Gifford!

Carving Out Savings

Although Jon is this month’s winner, it’s safe to say his work has been building up to this moment for a long, long time. Since the start of the year, Jon has been locked in, working across departments to find ways to save the company money. “He’s been focused on standardizing, improving, and implementing process efficiencies, leading to some great team wins and masterful six-figure savings,” Supply Chain Director Marcus Tagliaferri explained. Included among Jon’s biggest wins are:

Controlling diameters in draw and twist to find savings on bare copper
Finished wire OD control and recipe adjustments to save money on plastic
Developing and introducing the now-famous compound calculator

“These initiatives sound easy and simple, but it takes leadership to engage all of our internal and external stakeholders and systematically manage through all the complexities involved,” Tagliaferri said. “Jon's efforts and presence have had a major impact on the organization in October and throughout 2025.”

A Sixth Sense for Building Relationships

Jon isn’t just a cost-cutting magician. He’s put in the time and effort to build the right partnerships with the right people. “He leads by example, creating strong and trusted relationships with our operators,” Tagliaferri said. “You can tell the team members respect, trust, and depend on Jon, from our office team to the draw and extrusion teams. Even during our weekly standup meetings, you can see how operators engage with Jon when he speaks.” His even-keel attitude and friendly demeanor have also made Jon popular with KrisTech’s material suppliers and equipment providers, strengthening several critical partnerships. “His willingness to forge strong, impactful relationships has helped us procure free information and services that we’d normally get charged for,” Tagliaferri explained. “One partner has even gone as far as to perform several free services, just because of their partnership with Jon.”

Celebrating Our Nominees

Jon earned the honor of October Employee of the Month, but he was only one of several amazing nominees, including: Darren Bienvenue - Darrin constantly shows what it means to live the KrisTech Way. Beyond his exceptional technical skills, Darrin is a true team player, stepping in to fill responsibilities on Sundays and overnights to keep production moving smoothly. His dedication to maintaining equipment, processes, and high standards in quality inspections reflects his deep commitment to excellence and his understanding that every detail matters. He is also a trusted and respected team member, leading by example and demonstrating consistent effort, accountability, and teamwork. Through his dependability and positive attitude, Darrin builds trusted relationships with his coworkers, fostering a supportive and collaborative environment. Faith McNett - Faith is a master of quality control, working with our regional teams to double-check orders and ensure everything is spot-on before it leaves the facility. Her attention to detail delights our customers and keeps operations running smoothly. If a customer case pops up, Faith jumps in to resolve issues quickly and smoothly. Her greatest performance, though, is her backstage role training and supporting new Customer Service and Sales Team members. She helps them learn KrisTech’s intricate systems and processes, all with patience, clarity, and a willingness to guide others. Whether it’s mentoring a teammate, tackling a tough issue, or making sure everything sounds just right before we hit “send,” Faith always brings her A-game! Only a couple of months to go before we announce 2025’s Employee of the Year! Check back in a few weeks to see who joins Jon, Darrick, Nadine, Alfonso, Justin, Kristy, Thomas, Charles, Kelly, David, Justin, and Drew as our nominees!