NES March Spotlight Employee

Employee Spotlight

Jack Truman

Jack Truman wasn’t necessarily looking for a job.

But that didn’t stop opportunity from knocking in the spring of 2012.

Shortly after being laid off from his previous job at Henkel-Loctite, Truman received a phone call from his nephew, Chris Truman, Napoleon Engineering Services’ vice president of operations, who asked Jack if he’d be interested in a position at NES.

Truman, who figured he’d humor a family member, came in to see what his nephew’s company, a custom bearing manufacturer, had to offer. And after having his interest piqued, he was brought on as a welder/fabricator to support the Testing Department’s production of custom test rigs.

At that time, NES was shipping customer-purchased test rigs by the truckload. And if there was any question as to whether this would be a stop-gap measure on the way to other employment, Truman answered it.

Fourteen years later, up until the final few hours of today, Truman is still here. And nearly a decade-and-a-half later, up until the end, he’s proven to be a steady presence and an invaluable cog on the plant floor.

BACK IN 2012, Truman quickly cemented his place within the company.

And when worked slowed for our custom test rig service, the Allegany native was asked to shift to the modification side of the business – and he happily obliged. 

After initially floating between bearing assembly, inspection and ultimately the grind line, Truman then pivoted to duplex grind. And while former NES co-worker Mike Green tried his best to scare him away, Truman remained in that role for many years – and could still be found at that station through Friday afternoon.

Truman, who’s retiring today after a tremendous 14-year NES career, has always been a hard worker.

A year ago, our Chevalier Smart 818 machine, a critical component in our heavily loaded duplex grind channel, experienced an unexpected failure. This threatened significant delays in delivery to customers. Fortunately, Jack and teammate Matt Dannheim stepped up, demonstrating tremendous dedication by adjusting (adding to) their work schedules to cover the workload across only one machine.

But where Truman has worked hardest, and where he’s been most dedicated above all, is between the times of noon and 1 p.m. While others have tried, no one can coordinate a lunch outing like Truman, multiple NES co-workers maintained. Though we’re certain he’ll still be a familiar face within his lunch crew even after his retirement, no lunch gathering will be quite the same without Truman’s involvement.

As Chris Truman recently stated, “There is rarely a sandwich or pizza ordered within this building that Jack hasn’t had some part in helping plan.”

BY THE END of this week, Jack was the first co-worker (and possibly the only from here on out) to complete the NES “grand slam:” In March, he celebrated his birthday, work anniversary and retirement AND earned our monthly employee spotlight honor. After what he’s given to NES over the last 14 years, nearly to the day (he began here on March 27, 2012), bestowing upon him the employee spotlight was an easy decision.

“Jack is just one of those guys that has shown up to work every day for the past 14 years, consistently doing whatever was asked of him,” Chris Truman noted of his uncle. “He moved from department to department whenever a need arose, never complaining – just stepping in and getting the job done.”

Truman added: “Of course, Jack is known for enjoying his cellphone from time to time and the occasional razzing of fellow employees, but overall, he’s been a truly good employee who genuinely cares about those around him. You can see that in the way he spent his lunch times and in the always-filled candy jar he kept for everyone to enjoy.”       

Outside of NES, Truman boasts a successful landscaping business. His part-time gig even before starting here, it’s a job he has enjoyed enough to continue throughout his tenure at Napoleon Engineering. On almost any given day between April and October, you can see the landscaping trailer sitting out front, waiting for the 3:30 p.m. bell to ring and for Jack to jump from one job to the next. And in those few fleeting moments in and around those jobs, you can be sure to find Truman enjoying time with his family.

You don’t have to speak with Truman long before you hear about his last family outing or the last goofy activity his grandkids had him tied up in. This unrelenting work ethic and communal attitude have carried directly into his many interactions here at NES – even if those are occasionally accompanied by an off-color joke or a not-so-well timed smart-aleck comment that he is well known for.

“As was shown in the emotional speech given by Chris Truman last week (at Jack’s retirement lunch), it’s easy to see the impact Jack has had across NES throughout its formative years into today,” one NES co-worker said of Truman. “While Jack isn’t particularly fond of formal recognition, he certainly deserves to be celebrated for his ‘take on anything’ attitude that has made him such an important part of NES throughout the years.”

Said Chris Truman: “Jack’s dedication, flexibility and kindness have not gone unnoticed and will truly be missed. We wish him a long, healthy and well-deserved retirement.”