19 Aug Employee Profile: Joe Pat Gordon
Joe Pat Gordon is Operations Manager at the Aldez location in Kentucky. He’s been with Aldez for 4 years. Whether you’re a customer of Aldez or a person considering joining the team, his story is one that should interest you. Here’s a Q&A with Joe Pat that can help you get to know him better:
Q: What’s your background?
A: I have a background in AutoCAD drafting and design. While it is of interest to me, I really didn’t want to become a certified engineer. Early in my career I worked in technical drafting and design where I got exposed to process illustrating. I learned that I really enjoyed breaking down a process to build process instructions. Over time, that led to a production control position, where I got to learn inventory and inventory control. From there I moved into a role in planning and purchasing. In this position I was still involved in the production control and planner part and worked with them to learn the purchasing side. When I moved into my first role in automotive as a pre-production engineer, I had a chance to leverage my design skills, along with all my planning and purchasing experience. This allowed me the opportunity to join Aldez, where I get to use all of this plus my skills learned from years in automotive.
Q: How did you make the decision to join Aldez?
A: I came to learn about the opportunity through my network. Most of all, I was just incredibly impressed when I met with the exec team. It was very obvious to me that all 3 of them were listening and genuinely interested in me and my story. I’m heavily involved with my children and their sports and finding a job that allowed a healthy balance with my family is important to me. I could tell that they’re all family people themselves and want to run a family company
Q: Tell us more about your experience working here.
A: I tell everybody I talk to that every single person in this company knows what they need to do to keep the business going. The employees truly care about each other and the leadership cares about every employee. There has not been one person I’ve worked with at Aldez that hasn’t been great to work with. Everyone is always willing to help and they never leave each other hanging.
The other thing I love is that I can use everything I’ve learned in the past. At Aldez, they give me the freedom to build my own fixtures and be out on the floor as well as manage a team. If we have a fixture that needs to be built, I just do it. I’ve been with enough companies to know that Aldez is just different. There is a respect and care that is just part of the fundamentals of this company.
Q: What do you want Aldez customers to know?
A: Even though I’m the contact for the business discussions, my involvement with the customer doesn’t end at the sale. I want to know a lot about what I’m selling. Any product and/or machine we have in this building; I’ve put my hands on it. I know how it works and I know what it does. I want my customers to know that I understand and care about their product, processes and them. I’m the manager, I’m quality, I provide service, and I will fix any problems to ensure you get what you want or better.
Q: How do you think your early career experience impacts the Aldez customers today?
A: I think my background really makes a lot more possible. I understand design, production, costs, and how to adjust without affecting quality. I make it a point to talk with and learn from the operators at our customers, so I can actually help them with design or cost containment. At Aldez, we pride ourselves on finding possible savings for customers and, because I can look at a process from all the different perspectives, this helps make this possible.
Q: Any last thoughts?
A: Working at Aldez is the closest thing to owning your own business. I’m given the freedom to manage my operation and the management team is always here to support me. They told me, “We are always a phone call away, never hesitate to call” and that hasn’t changed since the beginning. The positive support and encouragement from a management team is something that I believe is lost in a lot of companies these days, but that is not the case at Aldez. Aldez is a special company and that starts at the top with Diane Copek, Michael Byrne, Jeff Copek, Michael Hayes and Micheal Wilder. I am truly glad to be a part of the Aldez team.
Stay tuned to the Aldez Blog to read more employee profiles coming soon!