The power of people

MRO Today unveils its 3rd annual All-Pro Team. These eight dynamic plant-floor workers saw their stock rise substantially in 2002.

by Paul V. Arnold

Newspapers and the evening news spent 2002 telling Americans what was wrong with the manufacturing industry.

The top stories?

Shrinking revenues, sinking stock prices and major job cuts for most companies.

Accounting scandals at Tyco and Xerox.

A compensation probe of General Electric.

More Ford/Firestone lawsuits.

Well, MRO Today ends the year by telling what is right and good with manufacturing. It’s people. More than ever, plant-floor people — empowered, blue-collar men and women — are having a say in the way their department, plant and company runs. With  quality work, leadership, ideas and vision, they are the industry’s brightest hope.

We salute these people each year with our MRO All-Pro Team awards. This fall, MRO Today accepted nominations for non-management maintenance, production and purchasing workers who are seen as the go-to guys or gals at their plant. From a list of 36 semifinalists, MRO Today selected the best of the best for this year’s honor roll.

Members of this year’s class receive an MRO All-Pro Team plaque, an exclusive MRO Pro baseball cap and a prize donated by an MRO Today advertiser.

The 2002 All-Pro Team includes:
• Dale Bucy, Reliability-Based Maintenance technician, Texas Instruments, Dallas. Dale also was named our 2002 Pro of the Year.
• Mick Ashley, production technician, Terra Industries, Sioux City, Iowa.
• Patricia Gallardo-Irvin, tool maker, General Motors Corp., Toledo, Ohio.
• Michael Haak, predictive technologist, Eli Lilly & Company, Indianapolis.
• David Lincoln, electronic technician, United States Postal Service, Syracuse, N.Y.
• Patti Melton, buyer, Advanced Information Systems — a Northrop Grumman Company, Topeka, Kan.
• Ronnie Nixon, maintenance mechanic, Hall-Hodges Company, Norfolk, Va.
• Jack Smits, light industrial facility maintenance tech, AMSEC LLC, Hampton, Va.

Honorable mention (a certificate and MRO Pro cap) goes to:
• Nancy Jo Daniel, facilities project administrator, Telect Inc., Liberty Lake, Wash.
• Tommy Miles, utility operator, Batesville Casket Company, Batesville, Ind.
• Robert Rabideau, maintenance control clerk, U.S. Postal Service, Plattsburgh, N.Y.
• Brenda Sawyer, commercial motor line worker, Ford Motor Company, Kansas City, Mo.

This article appeared in the December 2002January 2003 issue of MRO Today magazine. Copyright 2003.

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