Locals Build Long-Term Careers with Glen Oak Lumber & Milling (continued)

Lee Ingram, the new plant manager of Glen Oak-KY Mill #2, agrees. Originally a dairy farmer in north Pulaski County, milking 100 cows morning and night, seven days a week, he decided to sell the cows and pursue a different career so he could spend more time with his wife and children.

“I came to Glen Oak in December 1996 after seeing an ad in the newspaper,” explains Ingram. “During my job interview, they told me there’s lots of opportunity at Glen Oak, and any type of position I wanted I could come and get it.”

Ingram chose to work on the paint-prime line, loading and off-loading mouldings. It wasn’t long before he was promoted to prime line supervisor, a position he held until last fall. That’s when the former dairy farmer began managing the entire Glen Oak-KY board plant, making sure all the production needs are met in a safe and efficient manner. Ingram’s responsibilities will increase again soon, when a rough mill is added to Mill #2 as part of a new multi-phase facilities expansion.

“One thing that makes Glen Oak unique,“ observes Ingram, “is the fact that they give everybody a chance. You don’t have to be a college-educated professor to advance here. You just have to put forth the effort and give 100 percent.” Like McQueen, Ingram recognized and took advantage of a great career opportunity. “From day-one, I was told I could go anywhere I want to go in the company,” he recounts.

Getting there is made easier for Glen Oak employees with the support of upper management and the company’s continuing education program. According to Employee Support Services Director Dustylee Gray, Glen Oak pays the test fees for employees who complete their general equivalency diploma (GED). “Several people have gotten their GEDs while employed at Glen Oak,” Gray reports. “One was a man in his fifties and there were some ladies well into their forties. We supported their accomplishments and attended their graduations.”

Glen Oak also pays for secondary education classes that make an employee more valuable to the company. An employee wishing to learn new skills completes an application about the course(s) they plan to take and the related skills they’ll acquire. When they present evidence of passing a pre-approved course with a grade of C or better, Glen Oak gives them 100 percent tuition reimbursement.

Sandy Nevels is one of the Glen Oak-KY employees taking advantage of the continuing education program. The skills she gained from a computer class enabled her to transition from a job in the lumber mill to the front office.

Nevels accepted an entry-level resaw feeder position with Glen Oak in November 1997, when her original employer (Denim Processing) shifted production to Mexico and her workload as a clothing inspector dropped to 16-20 hours/week. “My husband had heard good things about Glen Oak while working next door at Hartco, and he encouraged me to apply,” Nevels recalls.

“One thing I really like about it here is that they inspire you to do more,“ says Nevels, who was promoted to resaw operator her second year in the mill. “When I went to Bo (Smith, Glen Oak president) and told him I’d like to learn computer skills I could use in an office job, he said, ‘sounds great!’ and helped me get set up to take classes at Somerset Community College. Bo’s also encouraged me to take more classes … this summer I’m going to take another computer class and a math class, which will aid in my data entry, inventory control and accounts payable responsibilities,” says Nevels. “At Glen Oak, if you want to help yourself they’ll do anything they can to help you. I had no office experience but, they gave me a chance and I’ve done well.”

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