Calandra Mills is a Team Member in the weld shop, working on the BC1 line. She joined the HMMA family back in February 2006 and is quickly approaching her 10-year anniversary with the company.

“When I first started at HMMA, the plant had just achieved the 1,000 vehicle-per-day milestone,” Calandra recalls. “I started in moving parts, and at that time we were working 10-hour shifts. I had never worked a 10-hour shift before so that was a big adjustment.”

Calandra says a longer shift was not the only adjustment she made when she began working at HMMA. “Before Hyundai, I worked in medical collections,” she says. “I knew I needed a change; I wanted something different so I could branch out a little. I applied for a job at Hyundai and decided that I would do anything they asked me to do. If they would hire me, I’d do my best at anything.”

Calandra’s enthusiasm paid off, and once she got her job offer and completed her training, she learned exactly what that “anything” would be.

“They read out our names and told us we’d be in the weld shop, and I didn’t know what that meant,” she laughs. “I imagined people doing all the welding with a torch and the big weld mask on, and I had no idea what I’d gotten myself into.”

Now, nearly 10 years later, Calandra is very happy with her role in the weld shop and says any time things get demanding she thinks back to her initial enthusiasm and keeps that do-anything attitude.

“Remember how it felt when you first got hired and how excited you were to do whatever Hyundai needed as long as you could get the job,” she says. “Even when things get stressful, continuing to be grateful will help get you through it.”