Meet the Tribe: Amber Hackenberg

This December will mark a big milestone for Amber Hackenberg. She will celebrate her ninth year working with The Ziegenfelder Company.

“I’ve done a little bit of everything except work in the freezer,” said Amber, who started first at the Wheeling facility. “Packing, bagging, relief, quality and even rebuild on the quality side, just to name a few of the jobs. Two years ago, I moved out to Denver to help build their quality assurance crew out here. There’s only five quality techs and we all get along really well. All of our personalities really match each other.”

Amber joined the Zieggy Tribe as a 19-year-old looking for a job that was close to where she was living. She didn’t have a vehicle and needed to walk to work. Amber lucked out and found much more than that.

“Ziegenfelder is a family to me,” said Amber who started off on the midnight shift. “The people I worked with were really fun. They’re the reason I always came back. They made me want to come back each day. They worked hard and they cared. They all took me in like I was their daughter.”

Amber now has two sons, 12-year-old Hunter who is in sixth grade and 5-year-old Kaiden who just started Kindergarten this year. Her sons have given her job even more significance.

“My favorite part of my job is knowing that our customers are receiving a safe food, especially with being a mom,” said Amber. “Knowing they get a fun snack that’s safe for them to eat is really important.”

When asked if she had any advice for new members of the Zieggy Tribe, Amber said, “Have an open mind and give it at least 2 weeks. You’re moving muscles you don’t typically move. You’re going to be sore. Just give it a chance. Those first two weeks as a line worker are not easy. It’s probably the hardest thing I’ve ever done.”