At the core of Mike Zych’s story is someone who simply refuses to settle. Currently serving as Director of Maintenance for four FGF sites in Canada, Mike’s commitment to growth and improvement has paid off in big ways, not just for his own career, but also for FGF as a whole.  

We sat down with Mike to learn about his journey throughout his career, what makes FGF such an attractive workplace for him, and the hard lessons he had to learn along the way. 

Looking for a Place to Grow 

Mike was lucky enough to have grown up surrounded by a family that set him on the path towards pursuing a career in maintenance. His father was a mechanic and a welder who helped him learn the tools of the trade, and he got his start working at an automotive body shop early on. 

“And then a family friend who was a maintenance manager encouraged me to make a shift to industrial maintenance. I was hesitant at first, but since I didn’t see myself staying in the automotive industry for long, I eventually took the risk,” he shares. 

What followed was a long-winded journey in search of the right company, from manufacturers processing meat products to cheese and consumer-packaged goods. He gained valuable experience in these organizations, but somehow, he remained on the lookout for something more. 

Stepping Up 

That’s when FGF reached out with an offer to join a budding food manufacturing company that was on the verge of growth and expansion. 

“It was just perfect timing. I looked into this company and saw that it was a lot bigger than the previous places I’ve worked for, and there were a lot of opportunities for growth. I told myself, I can’t pass this up,” he says. 

It was a gamble that luckily paid off. After starting off as an entry-level mechanic, he gained experience and grew in his career, moving into bigger roles with even greater responsibilities. When an opportunity presented itself, he decided to step up to the plate and sign on as a Site Maintenance Leader at a new site that was being built at the time. It allowed him to gain hands-on experience in commissioning a new site and building a maintenance team from the ground up. 

“As we were working on construction of the line, there’s also that added responsibility of creating a maintenance shop, ordering parts, interviewing Team Members, and building a team—everything had to be established from scratch,” he remembers. 

How Feedback Helps 

“That was a big learning step for me, and where most of my development as a person and as a leader came from,” he says. Mike credits FGF’s many feedback channels, such as regular engagement and leadership effectiveness surveys, for showing him some of his blind spots especially when it comes to leading teams, being a first-time Leader. 

“That was an eye-opener for me,” he shares. “I felt I was doing great as a leader, but the results showed otherwise.” 

To address his areas of opportunity as a leader, he worked with a coach, as part of FGF’s Unleashing Your Potential Program, “this taught me how to look at things from other people’s perspective, and to listen more than I speak.”  He says, “this coaching has been instrumental in my overall growth at FGF, and it’s something I make time for” now that he’s leading a team of over 35 Team Members across different sites. 

“The feedback that Team Members share is given a lot of weight at FGF, and the fact that we even ask for feedback through surveys means we hear them [our Team Members]”, he adds. 

Building great teams together 

In his time with FGF, Mike has had many doors open for him because of his constant desire to do better every day. He was offered the opportunity to support the commissioning of a plant as the Maintenance Lead and then he was tapped once more to help with building another. Shortly after, a Director opportunity presented itself overseeing several automated sites in Canada, and he dove in with both feet at the chance.  

In his work with maintenance, Mike tackles everything from diagnosing machine issues to finding solutions that keep production running smoothly on the floor, which is also reflected in his role as a leader in helping ensure his team works together seamlessly.  

“I appreciate the many development opportunities that I’ve gained at FGF, from the coaching I got from my leaders to learning how to work with people from different backgrounds. There’s a lot of programs that will really help you handle every challenge, every type of scenario,” he says. 

And when things do inevitably break, as they sometimes do? “At FGF, I’ve always seen that there’s no passing the buck, not a lot of finger-pointing. The mindset has always been, we have a problem, so let’s work together to find a solution for it”. 

Better Every Day 

Mike says he values the culture at FGF that encourages Team Members to approach challenges from new perspectives and acknowledges their dedication.  

He feels this supportive environment has given him the space to grow and the recognition to motivate him even further. “I always say I want to do more,” he shares. “And they always appreciated that. They have never said, ‘okay, that’s enough’”. 

His advice for new Team Members who want to join FGF: whatever you put in, you get out. “I’ve always put my heart into my work, especially at FGF, because I’ve gotten the recognition for it. It makes me want to do better every day, to do things even 1% better each day.” 

Ready for ‘more’? 

Mike’s story is just one example of how we’re pursuing relentless growth and developing our Team Members at FGF for when they’re ready for more. Interested in a career that takes you where you want to grow? Explore Careers at FGF and start your own journey with us!