Years ago, early in Brett Erdman’s tenure at MI Windows, he agreed to follow up his third shift by briefly filling in for a sick colleague on the first shift. He stayed a little longer than would normally be expected, requiring a supervisor to send him home, though not before asking Erdman if he was coming back in for the third shift that night.

The man needn’t have worried. If there’s one thing Erdman’s superiors and co-workers have learned over the past 31 years, it’s that he’s nothing if not dependable.

Erdman, who grew up in Millersburg, Pa., was first hired as a sash glazer working the third shift. He did that for three years before becoming an assembly racker/inspector; it was the first of numerous promotions. He would eventually work on a vinyl single-hung line before becoming a glass-room supervisor and then later a glass-room manager.

“I wanted to move forward whenever I saw there was opportunity,” says Erdman, who will now oversee the company’s largest replacement window manufacturing operation. “I heard stories that the supervisors used to work on the lines. I saw that they promoted within, and after talking to some of these guys, I knew that they recognized hard work.”

Continuing to climb the ladder, Erdman broadened his experience by accepting new responsibilities in a variety of roles. He was very eager to say “yes” when new tasks were assigned to him. After three years spent as the Hegins plant manager, working under Jason Wolfgang, he now takes over as the Director of Operations.

“I know that Brett’s ready for this next phase of his career,” says Wolfgang, who’s now MI’s Vice President of Manufacturing Operations. “Having worked closely with him, I’ve always been impressed with his ability to support the team and dedication to getting the job done.”

Erdman has loved working at MI from the very beginning. He hit the ground running and has gone the extra mile ever since.

“From Day 1, there was something different,” he says. “Work was fun. The guys I worked with and were training me were very friendly. It was a different atmosphere.”

Little has changed over the years. Erdman still enjoys working at MI. Not only that, but he’s an enthusiastic supporter of the MI Charitable Foundation.

“It’s just a great thing that MI started,” says Erdman, who serves on the Foundation’s outreach committee in Hegins. “They’ve been able to help a lot of people through really difficult times in their life.”

And he’s seen first hand the effects of the Foundation’s work. Erdman has been involved in many Foundation events, from working at the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank to preparing meals for families staying at a local Ronald McDonald House. On one occasion, he even personally delivered a check from the Foundation to a family that had lost its home in a fire.

Between his work with the Foundation, the challenges of the job, and the camaraderie with his fellow team members, Erdman remains confident that he made the right decision to join MI more than three decades ago.

“I’ve enjoyed every position that I’ve been in,” he says. “I’m very fortunate that I’ve had a great experience for 31 years.”