FALCON FOCUS – JEANIE PEEL
by: Joseph Rodriguez
Jeanie Peel has been around to see almost every bit of InterConnect’s history. Now serving as InterConnect’s Quality Manager, Jeanie originally started out as an assembler nearly 30 years ago. She uses that wealth of experience to help keep all departments on the right track through daily meetings.
What would you say is the most important thing you do every day?
The most important thing I do, that affects the most people, is lead the daily production meeting. Every department is in there, so everyone that’s affected is in that meeting. I can directly talk with sales and say something like “Hey, we have this wiring harness ready. Will the customer take it early?” That meeting is the time that production gets support from every department and all the departments come together to get products delivered to our customers and our military.
How does your role connect you to customers?
As Quality Manager my role is directly connected to the customers. The customers want their products on time with the highest quality and my team makes sure that happens.
What is your work history at InterConnect?
Before working at InterConnect, I worked for General Dynamics for several years. I worked in department 73, which is their wiring harness department, however, I was one of only thirteen people in that department that knew how to braid. One day I got a call from one of my friends who said that InterConnect was hiring, so I applied and got the job. I worked in assembly for a while before becoming an inspector, and when we (InterConnect) opened a braid shop at Alliance Airport, I was promoted to shop foreman. When the braid shop program successfully completed, I became Training Manager, Quality Manger, Six Sigma Manager, and then finally Production Manager.
What are some of the biggest differences between InterConnect now and when you first started working here?
It was way different. John (Ashour, InterConnect’s President and Founder) and Clare (McGarrey, InterConnect’s Vice President and Co-Founder) were working on the shop floor. I think Clare filled the role of our Quality Manager and John was the Production Manager. We didn’t have any inventory personnel, so we worked jobs from start to finish. We would kit our own job, cut wire, layout wire, complete all the terminations, and braid the harnesses, all the way from start to finish.
What is your favorite thing about working at InterConnect?
Family is important to me, and because InterConnect is open from Monday to Thursday, I was able to spend more time with my family. Every Friday I was able to have lunch with my son. Now I’m able to spend time with my grandkids. On top of that, my family has worked in aerospace for four generations. My grandfather and father both were in the aerospace industry and in the military. Because of that my family is very patriotic and we care about supporting our military. Jeanie attended the University of Texas at Arlington. She is married and has one son Colton, who is also a manager at InterConnect Wiring. Jeanie is a Six Sigma Black Belt. In her spare time, Jeanie focuses on her family’s genealogy, watching her grandson’s sports, and travelling with her family and friends.
