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We Bring Family Together, Even in Times of Sadness

CJ “Jimmy” Sporck was the type of person others gravitated to – a down to earth guy, fun, hard working, respected and dedicated, which are the words his peers use to describe him.

CJ worked at Step2 for 24 years and touched a lot of lives along his journey. He started his long career in our production area and became one of our first truck drivers. He even met his wife Kristy here at Step2!

CJ and Kristy built a life together and had a common passion for training dogs, specifically Rottweilers and Dobermans. CJ and Kristy were excited about the deposit they had made for a new Rottweiler puppy, to be called Utz, when tragedy struck.

CJ unexpectedly passed away on November 29, 2016 at the age of 44.

We were saddened. Step2 isn’t just a place to work – we’re a family. We wanted to help Kristy in any way we could, including finding a way to bring little Utz home.

“We, their Step2 family, will make it happen” – Kellie Kerr, Director of HR

We held fundraisers, raffles, and made personal donations to surprise Kristy with her new little buddy, the perfect way honor CJ.

Sweet Utz Von Kinghaus flew to his new home of Cleveland to meet his new mommy last month.

Little Utz is a sweet, loving puppy who has already brought a lot of joy to Kristy. He even has a perfectly shaped heart on his back.

“It’s a message straight from CJ to Kristy,” said Melisa Neff, Senior HR Generalist at Step2, and Kristy’s friend.

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