It's a mixed trio sitting up in the lunch room waiting to answer all our questions. We have started to warm up with a cup of coffee when Gabriel, the youngest of the group, is interrupted and has to run down to the office to share his expertise with one of his colleagues in production.
"We'll get you last" - Roland shouts at Gabriel's back.
Jan-Olof Helgesson, or Janne as we have come to call him, is, together with the other two designers, the newest member of APD (Alf Pettersson Development) and has been working full time for about a month.
Janne lives in a villa in Gråbo since 2008 together with his wife Katarina. They have three adult children, one of whom is his colleague Mackan, whom you have read about before.
Before Janne came here, he had worked for a long time (about 20 years) at a company that produces products for vehicle adaptation. Yes, and also the same as his son Mackan. Janne has a broad experience and has worked with vehicle service, run his own business, had support and of course, designed.
When he's not at work, engines seem to be a common denominator - at home it's all about old cars. The dream car Chevrolet Bel Air sport coupe - 1957 stands in the garage and shines next to Katarina's red Ford Mustang two-door HT. Previously, track racing was a great passion in life, where a rebuilt Volvo 240 got to show its colors. When a bit of time off is at hand and there are no cars, Janne and Katarina usually take the caravan north and usually land somewhere in Dalarna or the surrounding area.
At Alf Pettersson AB - and APD, Janne will work a lot with product development, he has slowly but surely come into the role, with the support of his colleague Pontus Andersson.
- "I soak up as much information and knowledge as possible while trying to get to know all the new faces". He enjoys the working environment and the adventure of starting a new job after 20 years.
Janne says that he has historically been bad at saying "No" - but also says that listening and reflecting is a strength.
Janne praises his wife when he decides that "Katarina's pork tenderloin in creamy chili sauce with rice" is what he would like to have in his lunchbox every day for the rest of his life.
Martin Benjaminsson, who lives a little outside Alingsås, more specifically Östadkulle, has long had both eyes and ears on Alf Pettersson AB and now a few months ago he started his new position as a designer with us.
In the countryside, he lives in a villa with his wife Sara and their two teenagers, not to mention their dog Sixten. Martin enjoys having animals and nature close at hand and hikes, or goes down to the mountains on vacation if he gets the chance. When he's not spending time in the mountains, he's drawn to club life, especially football. In the garage there is a self-built motorcycle, and the new vintage moped is often tinkered with.
Just before Martin came to Alf Pettersson AB, he had worked for several years with self-employment, specializing in mobility services. Previously, he had worked at a company in Herrljunga as a development designer of information systems intended for public transport.
We can conclude that we have the right man in the right place - at Alf Pettersson AB, Martin works closely with Simon Petersson at APD, but so far he is "new to the job". After scouting Alf Pettersson AB as a workplace since 2014, he finally got the job. Martin experiences his new workplace as very nice and he appreciates the team spirit that exists. - "Everyone helps" he concludes.
Martin's short answer to the food question is "Mom's meat sauce with spaghetti" - Is it true that moms are the best at making meat sauce?
Gabriel Brandin came back up from the office halfway through Janne's interview, he may be the youngest, but he has been with us the longest of the three colleagues. Gabriel is so young that he still lives at home with his mother and father in Vårgårda, and can proudly say that he is the only one of his friends with a full-time job. However, he thinks he will soon leave home, perhaps with his girlfriend Ida?
Gabriel comes straight from high school where he studied engineering with a focus on design and product development. He also studied cad, construction and "image and design". A perfect education to start working at Alf Pettersson AB. When Noack (who we will tell you more about in future newsletters) took Gabriel to Alf Pettersson AB one day to "see how it works", Gabriel hoped that he would soon be able to come back.
Gabriel has many interests, but admits that he likes to geek out when he finds a new thing he enjoys. Right now, wave surfing is the thing - "I've surfed a lot at Lejet," he says, explaining that he has only been surfing for about 1.5 years. Cool, we think. When not surfing, he plays handball, basketball, golf or guitar, and in between he brews coffee and creates latte art. (Coffee is an important part of survival when you work in an office, right?)
He has been with us at APD since June and is already getting into the swing of things. "It's been a bit scary not knowing anything," he says - but he's a fast learner and it shows. The idea is that Gabriel will work on product development and also help communication with the enrichment of articles and products. At first, he felt completely exhausted when he came home full of new impressions, but he has already gotten into the groove and finds it really fun to work.
Gabriel had given a lot of thought to what he could have in his lunch box for the rest of his life, and it ended up being sausage stroganoff with rice - "it's good and keeps well in the box"!
We wish the boys a warm welcome to Alf Pettersson AB!
