Markus has lived in McKinney, Texas, his entire life. Now a forklift operator at Nature Nate’s, he says that there’s no other place he would rather be and no way he would have arrived here without his faith in God.

HIS HEART

We asked Markus to sit down with us at the Nature Nate’s bottling plant a few weeks ago and unpacked his story. With bright eyes and a sharp focus, he spoke with intention and care. He was intentional about facing whoever he spoke to so they know his attention belonged to them and his time was available.

When Markus talks about Nature Nate’s, his team, and the work he’s doing, it’s inspiring just how much he loves his job. “Me, I like the work. But it makes a difference when you can go to a job and actually enjoy what you’re doing and who you’re working for. And that’s what I’m about. I love the work; I’m a team player. I couldn’t ask for a better place to be right now in my life.”

HIS WORK

As a forklift operator, he manages a team of five. He works in receiving and oversees the raw honey that comes in before it moves to be gently warmed, strained and bottled. He manages unloading the trucks, taking the honey through a sampling process to ensure quality, and then moving that honey to different areas. Markus said that “everything has a home” in the warehouse. It takes coordination and organisation getting everything where it needs to be at the right time.

Markus stressed that at Nature Nate’s, safety comes first. Each person operating the forklift must be certified and properly trained. The second priority is teamwork. The unloading, sampling and moving of the honey takes a team of three people at a time, mainly for efficiency. If Markus were to do it all himself, he could manage it in an hour and a half. With three people, however, it only takes 45 minutes.

But they don’t put speed over safety or careful work. Markus mentioned that he always tells his team, “Don’t ever be in a hurry to do anything. Take your time and understand what it is that you have to get done. The speed will come later. In everything we do here, we do have to be very safe and careful.”

HIS FAITH

He also spoke about how slowing things down with his team at Nature Nate’s has changed other aspects of his life. “It’s been a journey for me to be here,” Markus said. “And it’s life-changing. It’s helped me become a better man, to take on responsibility, get up and do the right thing … And I’ve just learned so much. There’s so much I could go on and on about this company. It’s just been that good to me and to the others around me.”

For Markus, his faith brought him out of a tough spot in life and brought him to Nature Nate’s. He believes that because of God, his path made its way to Nature Nate’s and to a company that he stands behind. Markus wants every customer to know they are getting a good product from quality people.