Lynden is recognizing employees who make a difference every day on the job and demonstrate our core values, Lynden's very own everyday heroes! Employees are nominated by managers and supervisors from all roles within the Lynden family of companies.
Introducing Griffith Assink, Shop Maintenance/Laborer at Lynden Tank Company in Lynden, Washington. 
Name: Griffith Assink
Company: Lynden Tank
Location: Lynden, WA
Title: Shop Maintenance/Laborer
On the Job Since: 2021
Superpower: Positive attitude
Hometown: Lynden, WA
Favorite Movie: We’re the Millers, A Million Ways to Die in the West
Bucket List Destination: Italy
For Fun: Volleyball, biking, reading
How and when did you start working for Lynden/LTI, Inc.? Have you worked for or done projects with other Lynden companies?
I saw an online ad for someone to help clean the LTI, Inc. shop in 2017. I met with Lu Jackson, got the job, and I’ve been going ever since. When the offices moved to Mt. Vernon, I started working for Lynden Tank.
What is a typical day like for you?
I work part-time and arrive each day around 8. I live right next door, so I can walk to work. My job is to keep the shop and other areas clean and orderly so employees can get their work done safely and efficiently. More than 20 garbage cans and containers need to be removed each day. Depending on the projects going on, the trash can be heavy with insulation or other material. I clean the break room, bathrooms, restock materials, provide clean rags, sweep up around the machines, and perform different odd jobs depending on the day and what is needed. I work three days a week. In the winter, I shovel walkways and doorways and keep track of the chains for the trucks.
One day a week I work for DeKoster Excavating, and I am going to the Northwest Academy for the Healing Arts to become a licensed massage therapist. I should be done in about six months. It has been a good experience, but some classes have been more difficult. Science is not my best subject! I really enjoy helping people to feel better and be their best. I’m hoping to get a job at a clinic when I graduate.
What has been most challenging in your career?
Being aware of hazards on the job.
What are you most proud of in your career?
I am proud to work at a place with such a great group of guys. They can be serious, but also joke around to make work fun. They feel like family.
Can you tell us about your family and growing up years?
I was born in Abilene, TX and adopted at four months old by my parents. They brought me to Lynden, WA to live with them and four siblings; three brothers and a sister. I am the fifth child, but four sisters and three brothers were born after me, so there are 12 children in the family. Needless to say, I had to share a room for most of my life growing up. I shared with my three younger brothers. A lot of my family lives in Lynden, including my grandmother. My sisters have kids, so I am Uncle Griffith to four kids. I was home schooled until senior year when I did Running Start through Lynden High School. I graduated in 2018.
What was your first job?
I worked at Enfield Farms in Lynden picking raspberries and working in the plant. I also did odd jobs like mowing lawns, building fences, working on farms, and moving hay.
What would surprise most people about you?
I am visually impaired, so most people are surprised about all the things that I can do like coaching a volleyball team. I don’t tell people about my impairment, so they are always surprised when they find out. I am missing the iris, or colored, part of my eyes. I had glaucoma when I was born. Doctors treated it with laser surgery when I was just a few months old.
How do you spend your time outside of work?
I coach rec league volleyball. I enjoy biking around town and on trails and spending time with family. I also like to read detective novels.
What do you like best about your job?
The people I work with. We have about 15 people working at Lynden Tank, and everyone is really close. People watch out for each other. They try to pick each other up if someone is having a bad day or struggling.
Topics from this blog: Lynden LTI Inc. Lynden Tank Company Lynden Employees Everyday Heroes Featured