Mr. Dean Haftl was raised on the family farm in Moore Township. The entire family was active with 4H clubs. He graduated from Northampton High School in 1978, saying, “I was given a good educational foundation for life.”
Starting at Keystone in 1978, Dean was hired by Manager Franklin Silfies, he said, “I am proud to say, our family from my grandfather, father and sister, have proudly worked at Keystone for over 100 years. Old timers John Flamisch, Harold Newton and Tom Yost have also shared their work experiences with me.”
When Dean started at Keystone, he held a variety of jobs from night shift maintenance to raw and finish mill operator. He later used his electrical training from high school to spend 17 years on the electric gang.
Today, he is part of the preventative maintenance team. The group is the eyes and ears of the plant, covering every area of the plant from the quarry to the giant pre-heater. Mr. Haftl said, “I work with Brian Serfass and Harvey Beidler. Our supervisors are Mark Dlugos, Craig Lawrence and Herb Heimbach, all fine men.”
His longest shift was a 36-hour stint during a massive snowstorm. The plant stresses safety, each Friday a safety meeting is held to update his team on any safety issues. The current plant is much more efficient and productive than past plants on the site.
Dean has a good working relationship with his coworkers saying, “If you need a hand on a challenging job, your coworkers are always there to help.”
Mr. Haftl is a friendly gentleman with a strong work ethic from a family of dedicated cement workers. He appreciates his job at Keystone saying, “The plant has provided my family with a good standard of living.”
His favorite hobby is hunting and he is a member of 5-47 Keystone Gun Club. Dean has been married to the former Nancy Silfies for 37 years and they are proud of daughter Nadeanne and son Nathaniel. The friendly family resides in Moore Township.
I am proud to say Dean was a fine student of mine at Northampton High School and we wish him, a 39-year employee and all our friends at Keystone a safe and bright future.
