Featured Employee - Joe Rogers

This week’s feature employee is Joe Rogers, the Manager of our Tool & Die Department. He has been with G&H since November 26, 1990 – that’s 18+ years!

Joe was born and raised in Dallas, Texas, and it was at the age of 19 that he went to work for a Dallas manufacturer. There he worked on a press for about six months and then did setups for about a month. He was then told he was ready for the tool room, and that is where he remained for seven years.

G&H recruited Joe and brought him to Houston to work in our tool room. I asked him what he remembered about his early days at G&H and he replied, “It rained a lot”. He also recalled being driven past some new property G&H had purchased, which is where, in 1994, we built our current facility. He also remembered when we purchased “this new machine called a laser.” Joe says that what he likes best about working for G&H is that there is always something new and different to work on – “its diversity,” he explained.

Joe is standing in front of G&H's first EDM. He has fond memories of that machine because back in the old days, G&H did not have an air conditioned shop. He loved to work with the EDM because it was kept in an air conditioned room!

Joe is married to Juana and they have six children: Michael, 16, Ashley, 14, Christina, 13, Norma, 11, Sarah, 9 and Jon, 2. When I asked him if he had any outside activities, he gave me this hello-did-you-hear-me-I-said-I-have-six-kids look! He said that he stays very busy with the kids – always making last minute plans, giving help with projects they bring home, taking them places where they need to be, shopping for special shoes they have to have . . .

Please join me in thanking Joe for his 18+ years of service to G&H! He is very much appreciated!

WELCOME BOBBY & BECKY!

Please help me welcome our two newest members of Management in our Houston office!

Bobby McIntire

Sales Director
Bobby comes to us with 23+ years of manufacturing experience, specializing in sheet metals and machining. He has worked his way from the shop floor - starting as a delivery driver - to a sheet metal mechanic and then on to sales. He is dedicated to bringing the finest in sales and customer service to G&H.

Bobby is married to Paula and they have three children: Aaron, 20, Paige, 15, and Michael, 11. He describes himself as a family man, and most of his time away from work is spent doing special things with his family. They love to camp, go to the beach, fish and spend time with extended family. Bobby also loves to play golf – he said that anyone who knows him would know that. I asked him to tell me something people might not know about him, and he said we might not know he has participated in a few triathlons (good training for G&H)!

Becky Porter
Quality Assurance Manager
Becky comes to G&H with 25+ years experience in the quality arena. She holds an Associates Degree in Business and has almost completed her Bachelor of Science degree as well. Becky has been well trained from the floor up in all areas of Quality Assurance.

Becky has a daughter, Courtney, who is studying Law at Winthrop University in South Carolina. They look forward to each summer when their whole family meets in Savannah, Georgia, for a family retreat! Becky said she has been learning to play golf (I warned her of the Houston heat), and she has enjoyed the wonderful restaurants Houston has to offer – Pappasito’s is her favorite!

Jose Linqui – Featured Employee

This week’s featured employee is Jose Linqui, who joined G&H as a machine operator on February 20, 1990. Jose told me this has been his only job since coming to the United States back in 1989.

If you look at Jose’s picture, you will see him smiling. Even though I asked him to smile, I like to think he is smiling because he loves working on the Bystronic Flex 4 laser machine, where he makes products for the oil industry.

Jose was born in El Salvador, which is situated on the Pacific coast of Central America. El Salvador has Guatemala to the west and Honduras to the north and east. It is the smallest of the Central American countries, with an area equal to that of Massachusetts, and it is the only one without an Atlantic coastline.

While in El Salvador, Jose attended the Technical Institute. He graduated with a Civil Technical Engineering Degree and worked as a supervisor in the construction of buildings.

In 1989, during civil unrest in his country, Jose dreamed of a better life for himself and his family. With a brother and two sisters already living in Los Angeles, Jose decided to move there first. Not long afterwards, another brother – who happened to be working for G&H – called him and told him there was work in Houston! So Jose moved one more time and joined our G&H family.

Jose is married to Aidee and has three children – two sons, Frederick and Carlos, and a daughter, Karla – and they are all married and live in Houston and the surrounding area. In addition, Jose is blessed with five grandchildren! All of his children graduated from High School and his daughter is currently studying Accounting at a local community college.

He shared with me that when they first came to the United States, his daughter was nine years old and had never seen a person of a different race. When she questioned him about this, he answered her by saying, “It matters not what color or race a person is, but that we are all the same in God’s eyes and should respect each other always.” “That is what I have implanted in my children, that we should try our best to get along and live life to the fullest,” Jose said.

Jose says that he loves to read “just about everything.” He also loves to fish and has a nephew who lives in Clear Lake, which is where he tries to spend a lot of time. I asked Jose what kind of fish is his favorite to catch, and he got this big, animated grin on his face – said he loves to catch them all, but particularly catfish. His best time, however, is spending as much time as possible with his grandchildren!

We want to thank Jose for his dedication and hard work at G&H!

Message From the General Manager of Our Indianapolis Facility

Ed Kash asked me to write this week’s blog for him. Seeing how we recently celebrated Memorial Day I thought it would be good to ponder those who have sacrificed and who have helped us.

I have worked for G&H now for more than 7 years. We have seen lean years and good years. I remember Sept 11 in 2001. Hearing of the horrible news, all the office computers had the internet open trying to stay current. Everyone in the shop was asking questions, trying to get information. And yes I remember brining everyone into the break room for a moment of prayer as the reality of the day unfolded.

I remember talking with Ed about the Indianapolis plant. Should it stay open, should we close it, what did the future hold? Which markets can we try to break into, which customers can we grow? How can we become profitable? And yes I remember praying about it. We trusted God to lead, to direct. In just a few years we had a record year in both sales and profitability. I know God heard and answered our prayers.

I remember talking with Ed about the Gun shop. Should it stay open, should we close it, what did the future hold? Which markets can we try to break into, which customers can we grow? How can we become profitable? And yes I remember praying about it. We trusted God to lead, to direct. In August, 2008 G&H is set to open a new building. Yes it looks like it has turned the corner. I know God has heard and answered our prayers.

Earlier this year we got a major piece of work making a dune buggy type car frame. It is exciting and yes it is a very big challenge. This product line can increase sales by 50%. This one project will be as big as our top 3 customer’s alone. We purchased machines, rented another building and started hiring employees. We have invested our entire capitol budget on this one project. This project is made even more difficult by the customers demand to get up and running in less than 6 months. How do you grow a business by 50% in six months?

Until the production line gets up and running, we were asked to build these frames manually. We have had to add 33% more staff and develop temporary tools and processes. This represents a daunting task. How do you take limited resources and split them. Partially building frames by hand, and partially building the automated production line. Guess what, I remember praying about it. We trusted God to lead, to direct.

In May we were challenged again by the customer to build 40 units by hand. (We had only shipped 21 units in April). How were we going to double our output, how could we manually produce this many? We have had our problems, delays and difficulties. How were we going to find the workers, how could we double and still hold the quality? Well, we prayed about it. We trusted God to lead, to direct. On the last day of the month we shipped our 40th frame.

I don’t want to give you the wrong impression. God is not a good luck charm, a rabbit’s foot or a genie. Each time we prayed, we also worked very hard and there were a lot of employees who worked hard and sacrificed. There were failures and successes. But there is one thing that we have recognized, God does care and He is active in our lives.

Thanks to all the welders, all the quality people and to the engineers who helped make May so successful. Most of all thanks to our Lord, who listens, cares and answers prayers.


Steve E. West
General Manager -- G & H Indianapolis
swest@ghindy.com