This week we continue our “Why Draper?” profiles of members of the Contract Screens Department. Linda Daubenspeck takes a positive attitude into everything she does-a good trait in such a busy department!

How did you come to be working at Draper?
A little over 25 years ago, I was a stay-at-home mom and saw an ad for a position at Draper in the New Castle paper to which Larry (her husband who now works in our IT department) responded and got the job in technical sales (which Scott Shaffer and Ben Hamm now do). Four months later, we purchased the green house across the street from Draper. Alan Beattey, a member of the executive committee at the time, asked if I would be interested in filling for our receptionist while she was on maternity leave. I came and sat with her, learned the job, then was asked to fill out an application. Times and Draper have certainly changed since then.

Linda on the north shore of Kauai.

What do you like best about your job?
I love the relationships most of all – the people I work with on a daily basis in the office, those that I occasionally have the opportunity to see from the plant as well as those “phone relationships” I have with dealers and Draper distance employees. I have probably worked in more departments (within the office) than just about anyone else. Sometimes, I feel that I am a “jack of all trades, master of none” because of that. Some of that has been filling in for vacations or medical leaves. I have worked as receptionist, in literature, credit, traffic, customer service, as well as export, shade, AV and architectural sales. (I may have missed some, but that’s about the extent of it.)

Funniest moments here?
There have been numerous funny moments; one of the best was probably when I was working in the customer service department and went up to the architectural screen department to check on something. I was looking in one of the file cabinets when Bob Fisher (recently retired) asked, “Did you come up here to see the poor folks” To which I responded, “The poor folks that have to work with you!” We’ve laughed about that frequently over the years. Bob sure is missed!

What do you like to do in your time away from Draper?
I enjoy spending time with family and friends; watching sporting events (live or on TV – Cincinnati Reds, IU, Colts, Rushville Lions or Lady Lions, any number of others). Sometimes I get into them a bit more than I should! I thoroughly enjoy travel and would love to do more. I also enjoy being outdoors (when it’s warm)!

Tell us about your family…
I’ve been married to Larry for almost 29 years, and we’ve worked together a good portion of that time. He just completed 26 years at Draper on January 9, 2015. We have three children. Sarah is 20 and a sophomore at IPFW (Indiana Purdue Fort Wayne) studying Interior Design. Joseph is 22 and has been studying criminal justice at IU Bloomington. He has decided to join the Air Force; therefore, he is not taking classes this semester, anticipating Basic Training. Both worked at Draper this past summer, Sarah in Literature and Joe in the Metal Shop. Michael is 26 (worked here during college as well), and he is married to Ashley. They have a two year old little girl, Roxie Jo. She is an amazing little girl! Grandparenting is definitely as good as people make it out to be! Our kids have all grown into wonderful adults, and each one has a wonderful sense of humor. It’s a joy to be their mom and mother-in-law, and I couldn’t ask for a better guy to share my life with than Larry. Life is good!