NES May Employee Spotlight
Employee Spotlight
Steve Kimble
Steve Kimble figured the experience would be short-lived.
Upon being hired by Napoleon Engineering Services in December of 2008, back when it was a company of just 15-20 employees operating out of a small shop on Adams Street, Kimble told his next-door neighbor buddy that he didn’t think he’d be there very long.
The neighbor, the one who implored him to apply, urged Kimble to reconsider.
“I’d try to tough it out,” Kimble recalled his buddy telling him. “I’ve heard good things about that Chris Napoleon guy (and NES). It was so small then and my buddy’s a farmer and still, he knew all about Chris.”
Over 16 years later, Kimble hasn’t just “toughed it out,” he’s thrived here.
And he’s glad he gave it a fair shake.
Prior to NES, the Smethport, Pa., native worked for two companies where morale was less than desirable. “And then once I went to Napoleon,” Kimble said, “even though there were only 15 people, it still had that family feel.”
That family-oriented feeling played a contributing role in Kimble becoming the loyal and dedicated co-worker he is today. And those traits are what led to him earning our May employee spotlight.
KIMBLE, rather modestly, described himself as a “button-pusher.”
A versatile and talented machinist, he’s run the concave grinders and has experience in milling. He’s even spent time on the Talysurf and Talyron measuring machines.
“I remember sitting in this room here (the new training room) when it was inspection for weeks at a time on second shift, just checking parts on the Talyron and Talysurf,” Kimble, NES’ 11th-longest tenured co-worker said.
Mostly, and historically, however, Kimble has operated the lathes. But even in that role, he’s become a Swiss Army knife of sorts.
“I’m switching from hard turning to soft turn to turning cages to doing modifications (such as seal grooves) for (production manager Ed) Treat in assembly,” Kimble noted. “I’m constantly setting up and tearing down to switch over from hard turning to the plastic cages I’m doing right now.
“It’s not just CBM (custom bearing manufacturing). I’m doing testing parts where Kyle (Brook, testing manager) will come out and say, ‘hey, we need this today.’”
Kimble, though, enjoys that all-purpose job description, that no two days are the same. “It makes the day (more exciting),” he said. He recalled, in fact, telling Napoleon at his job interview that he didn’t want to be doing the same job all day long.
And it’s his ability to wear so many hats that make his work so rewarding.
“Being able to help in this area, in that area, that does feel good,” he said. “To be able to have them call on me and be able to say, ‘Yes, I can do that,’ and not being like, ‘well, I’ve never done that,’ and being able to help wherever I’m needed. I like that.”
And that, in turn, is among the many qualities that NES appreciates about Kimble.
“Steve is the ultimate workhorse when it comes to pumping out work on any piece of equipment thrown at him,” said Chris Truman, NES’ vice president of business operations.
IN HIS free time, Kimble enjoys hunting, fishing – the outdoors in general.
He even constructs turkey calls on the side.
“I used to build a ton of them; I sold a thousand of them probably,” he said proudly. “Now I just do them for friends and stuff, just here and there. I like doing those kinds of (woodworking projects).”
Kimble is grateful to have earned this month’s employee spotlight honor. But he’s even more grateful to have been here for, and a significant part of, NES’ tremendous growth, from a company of less than two dozen employees and few machines when he started to an outfit of 63 full-time employees and several machining channels today.
“I think it means a lot that both (Chris Napoleon and Truman) would mention my name,” Kimble said. “I feel like it IS an accomplishment. I’ve been here going on 17 years. It feels good; it’s just neat to see the place grow, where we’ve come from to where we are today.”