BATTLE CREEK, Mich. — For Stacy Flathau, the history preserved inside WK Kellogg Co’s archives is also a reminder of her family’s connection to the company.
"My grandmother worked there. My mother-in-law has worked there worked there for 42 years," Flathau said. "My mom worked there. In fact, my mom was a tour guide back when we still gave tours at the plants, which was very cool."
Flathau, the company’s chief corporate affairs officer, is a third-generation employee who has worked there for about 18 years.
Inside the company’s Battle Creek headquarters, about 30,000 items document a history stretching back to its founding in 1906, according to Flathau.
The collection includes cereal packaging, vintage advertisements, photographs, toys and other memorabilia.
The archives are not open to the public, but FOX 17 toured the collection with corporate archivist Virginia Angles during American Archives Month in October.
“We maintain everything that the company has ever created, from packaging, artwork, in-store displays, all of the toys in box merchandise. You name it, we've got it,” Angles said.
The collection continues to grow as new products and packaging are developed.
“Every time we make something new, I try to collect it. The easiest example is packaging. We make new packaging every year,” Angles said.
Preserving materials made from different substances presents an ongoing challenge, she said.
“It is a bit daunting because I want to keep everything forever, right?” Angles said. “That preservation is always a challenge, and it's a lot of fun to go in and figure out what type of materials we have and what the best course of action is to preserve them.”
Flathau said production employees, marketers and product developers use the collection for inspiration.
“And I just love the fact that our archives are really a place where where our production staff, where our marketers, where our innovators come to get inspiration for things for the future,” Flathau said.
For Angles, helping people find a personal connection to the materials is one of the most rewarding parts of the work.
“That's what it's all about,” she said. “It's bringing it to life.”
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