Perfect Attendance for 35-Plus Years Attributed to Being ‘Creature of Habit’

Jun 01, 2023
<2 MIN READ
Tim Kosanko Click to Enlarge

Tim Kosanko on his hilo in the Body Shop.

Tim Kosanko doesn’t apologize for being a ‘creature of habit.’ He eats the same thing for lunch every day and every day, for 35-plus years, he’s shown up on time for work.  

“I’m a farm boy. We never had a day off, and we had to be up early for the animals. They need to eat every day,” Kosanko said. 

He was hired in on Nov. 2, 1987, at Flat Rock, though it was a Mazda Plant at the time. He has always worked in Material Planning & Logistics (MP&L).  

Kosanko chuckles that his routine doesn’t vary. He wakes up at 4 a.m. – earlier if the weather is bad – and gets to work ahead of his shift. At lunch, every day it’s a ham sandwich, a small bag of potato chips and a Pepsi. “No, I never get tired of it.”  

Never missing a day at work does not go unnoticed. To his coworkers and supervisors, Kosanko is someone you can always count on. 

“Tim is a great asset for MP&L,” said James Green, area manager for MP&L. “He is a hard worker and smart – and helps other team members. Tim never misses work and that shows professionalism and workplace values. He is a trusted and reliable team member.” 

Kosanko chuckles that his routine doesn’t vary. He wakes up at 4 a.m. – earlier if the weather is bad – and gets to work ahead of his shift. At lunch, every day it’s a ham sandwich, small bag of potato chips and a Pepsi. 'No, I never get tired of it.'

Originally from a town near Pittsburgh, he was laid off from the steel mill and then he started applying for a job in Flat Rock. The Mazda hiring practice was to test seven different times. Being from out of state and needing to pay for a hotel each time, a supervisor felt badly for him and after his third visit, told him if he could stay another day, he could take the remaining four tests then. 

“I came here because I knew the auto industry was steadier than the steel mills,” Kosanko said. He wanted steady so he could plan his life. One day he went to his mailbox and there was the job acceptance letter from Mazda – and his final unemployment check. 

He proposed to his future wife, Vicki, and then moved near the plant. Four months later he returned to Pennsylvania to get married; the two are now parents of a son, Timothy Jr. Kosanko and his wife kept a farm in their hometown that’s managed by their son.