“It’s like second nature” | Working at Sterling Axle Plant is a Family Tradition

Oct 26, 2023
<2 MIN READ
It’s like second nature” | Working at Sterling Axle Plant is a Family TraditionDescription: Fifth-generation team member's family goes back to plant's beginning. Click to Enlarge

“My great-grandpa was in production. He started in ’64 and retired in ’80,” said Jaden Doublestein, a material handler just a few months into his tenure with the Sterling Axle Plant (SAP) team. His familial ties to the plant go back generations and generations. His great-great-grandfather began working in the toolroom at the plant in 1956, the very year the plant opened. Doublestein’s great-grandfather followed the same path and started working at SAP eight years later.

Doublestein joined the Ford family when a close family friend recommended him for an open position, carrying on a family tradition as a fifth-generation Ford employee. As for why he thinks his family keeps coming back to work for Ford, Doublestein points to the company providing stability for his family throughout the generations.

They’ve always taken care of us, that’s for sure. We have never not had food on the table. It’s just always been a good route for us.
Jaden Doublestein

His favorite part about working at Ford is continuing the legacy his family has laid out for him. He feels proud of being able to not only work at the same company as his great-great-grandfather but at the same plant too.

“For me, it’s natural. It’s like second nature almost or instinct.”

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    Working at Sterling Axle Plant is a Family TraditionDescription
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Doublestein has been hearing about the company since he was a kid. Visiting the Ford Museum is one memory that sticks out to him, a family favorite activity.

“The Henry Ford Museum was always a big deal for us. I went there a lot as a kid. It was big for my grandpa. He loved it,” he said.

Grateful for the Ford benefits provided for his family, Doublestein is excited to work alongside his team at SAP.

“I know if I choose to be here for 30 years, or longer, I’m good. I just know, more or less, that I’m set up. I guess that’s the best part of it for me. There are great people here too.”