If you’ve ever wondered who’s already hard at work while the rest of us are still fumbling for coffee, meet Jeff Gould. He’s the guy pressing tiles before sunrise, cracking jokes before you’ve tied your shoes, and keeping Betty Lou (our beloved pug mill) humming with the kind of care most people reserve for their pets.
Jeff’s got roots in Grass Lake, a love of old cartoons, and a surprising soft spot for musicals—and he presses more than $15,000 worth of tile a day. He might come off quiet at first, but spend a little time near the press and you’ll find a sharp mind, a generous spirit, and one hell of a storyteller.
What’s your name, and what’s your role at Motawi?
I’m Jeffrey Lynn Gould, but everyone here calls me Jeff. I press most of the polychrome tiles here at Motawi.
How long have you been here?
A little over seven years. I started around 2017 or 2018.
Can you describe what a typical day looks like for you?
I get in around 3 to 3:30 a.m., mostly to beat the heat. It gets pretty warm back in the kiln rooms. I used to come in early because of my son—I coached his baseball team, so being home in the afternoons was important. My job is pretty independent, and as long as I hit my targets, I can structure my time. I aim to get my daily pressing done so the trimmers have what they need when they arrive. Once I hit that target, I might switch to pressing field tile or prep for a bigger day ahead.
What were you doing before you came to Motawi?
I was in book manufacturing for 14 years—printing, cutting, binding, stamping covers—everything from start to finish. I saw books go from paper to finished copy. I worked the presses, cutters, binders, even the embossers. But I could tell that industry was on the way out when my son came home from school one day and said they were switching to tablets.
How did you first hear about this place?
My wife found a job fair post on Facebook. I showed up, interviewed, and a couple months later, they called me back. They needed someone strong, reliable, and steady to handle the big molds and the pug mill—Betty Lou. Nobody had lasted in the role more than a few months before me because it can be physically demanding.
What made you want to work here?
It had the feel of a small business but offered benefits like a big company. I’ve lived in Grass Lake my whole life, and I like small communities. Meeting Nawal and seeing that I could work at my own pace—as long as I got the job done—sealed the deal.
Do you remember your first day or your first impression of the Tileworks?
I couldn’t believe how laid back it was. Compared to my old jobs, it was like night and day. No one in your ear demanding things yesterday. Just trust and respect.
When I started here, the polychrome target was five grand a day, and they weren’t hitting it. I press over $15,000 a day now. There are more glazers now too—like 12 or more. The company has grown a lot in seven years.
What part of your work do you enjoy the most?
The smushing of the clay when I press tiles—that moment is just satisfying. And running Betty Lou is a blast. She chews up the clay, pulls the air out, and spits it out in this perfect brick. I also like the creative side of making something from raw clay, even though I never took an art class past eighth grade.
Is there a moment you’ve felt especially proud of your work here?
Doing the Stickley projects was pretty cool. Like when we did the first end table for them or the table with the riverscapes—I got to press every single one of those. However many that was, 2000 or something like that. I had to put the big mold in by myself, which meant using a hoist and electric jack. The mold weighed like 350 pounds. It was a whole thing, but it was fun.
What’s something you’ve learned or gotten better at since you started?
I’ve learned how to work smarter. When I was trained, they told me to do things a certain way, but I figured out techniques that made the work easier on my body—resting my elbows instead of keeping my arms fully extended, using the machine’s pressure to help. I’ve taught those methods to others now. I’ve also learned a lot from the people here—different cultures, foods, ways of thinking. Coming from a small town, that exposure has been huge for me.
Can you share a fun or unexpected detail about your job that most people wouldn’t know?
I treat Betty Lou like one of my dogs. I talk to her, rub her, take care of her. She’s old, but she’s solid. Everyone who works with her needs to respect her.
What's something quirky or surprising about working at Motawi?
Quirky or surprising? I want to say Nawal! I take her as a breath of fresh air. She’s a cool chick that’s just different. She speaks her mind, and I relate to that.
I remember one of my first weeks, I was pressing four 4x4 tiles at a time back then, and she walked in the door and looked at [the tile] and said, “Those look thick to me.” I was like, “Huh?” I knew had gauged it when I started, so I was like, “Well, let’s check it, then! If you think it’s thick, I may be in trouble—maybe the gauge is wrong!” So I sliced one open right there. And she goes, “I can’t believe you did that.” I said, “What do you mean?” She said, “You didn’t even argue—you just did it!”
I was like, “Your name’s right here!”—and I pointed to her last name on my shirt—"Mine’s not. I don’t trust myself over you. If you think it’s thick, then let’s look at it, because something might be wrong.” I'm all about doing things right the first time—I don’t want to ever redo work if I can avoid it. Turns out, it was fine. She goes, “Must’ve been just my eyes.” And I said, “Thank God!” because I had already pressed like 800 of them that morning.
After that there was a company picnic—we were hanging out, and I had side chops going at the time, and Nawal just comes up and grabs me by the chops and goes, “Oh, just look at Jeff’s chops!” [My wife] Jennie saw that and was like, “Yep, she loves you.” That’s just Nawal. I don’t kiss ass, I just do my job. And I think she respects that.”
What do you like to do outside of work? Any hobbies or side projects that light you up?
Baseball is big for me. I coached my son for years and still love watching the Tigers. I also play MLB video games and do a lot of gardening with Jennie—we grow cucumbers, and perennials mostly. We have four dogs—a Shih Tzu, a pitty, a mastiff, and another little one in between. They keep me busy. Baseball, gardening, and dogs.
What’s something about you that might surprise your coworkers?
I know it surprises people, but I love musicals. It’s escapism for me, something positive and uplifting. I also love cartoons. Always have. Even when my son’s not around, I’ll still be watching old-school Transformers or new Ninja Turtles movies. It's my thing. I grew up on Mary Poppins and Sound of Music, and now I'm into newer stuff too. The Greatest Showman is one of my favorites—me and my son both loved it. I haven't seen Hamilton yet, but I will. It's on the list. And I'm always down to try something new if there's music and a story. It's just a great escape.
Morning person or night owl?
Morning, no doubt.
Coffee, tea, or something stronger?
5-hour Energy.
Favorite Motawi tile (or design)?
Skylight [by Frank Lloyd Wright] is my nemesis. It was tough to press when I started because of all the straight lines—you make one wrong move, and the lines get screwed up. It’s a challenge, but I respect it. But asking my favorite is like asking which is my favorite child. I love them all. I made them!
If your job was a tile, what would it look like?
It’d be a tile with Betty Lou and a 60-ton press. That pretty much sums it up.
One word to describe Motawi?
Awesome.
What are you excited about right now—at work or in life?
Growing old with Jennie.
Any dreams for the future, big or small?
Paying off the house. That’d be a big one.
There’s something deeply Motawi about Jeff: the steadiness, the humor, the pride in getting it right. He’s not flashy. He’s not loud. But the work he does—and the way he does it—leaves a mark.
Before he was pressing tiles, Jeff was pressing books—turning stacks of paper into finished stories. Now, his stories are made of clay. This is Jeff, unfiltered and full of craftsmanship—just like the books he used to make.
