More About Me and KAPSTONE

Everyone has a story. Our roots can define and guide us...

I grew up modestly, but I never thought of myself as poor. I was fortunate to have a grandmother who took me (and my sisters) into her home and raised us as her own. She taught me to work hard and treat everyone like family. Along the way, I had great men and women to speak into my life and show me how to be a man, how to have a great work ethic, and they taught me what commitment, quality and responsibility looks like. Each of them demonstrated and taught me the importance of education, skills, work ethic.

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Because of these good folks, I have not been without a job and income since the age of twelve. I have worked on tobacco farms, in a warehouse, a grocery store, a corporate engineering group, and for industrial and manufacturing companies. I put myself through college while working full or part time, and worked multiple shift schedules to earn degrees.

 

I have worked for a diverse group of employers in various capacities, but my career bloomed in service to manufacturing companies as a Maintenance Associate, Electronics Technician, Engineer, Supervisor, and for the last (39) years I was the Engineering Manager for a major Pulp, Paper, Wood Products and Forestry company. I retired from Weyerhaeuser Company in June of 2024.

 

Married to my grade school sweetheart for (45) years, we have (3) grown sons and (7) grandchildren. Each of my sons has a primary career, and side businesses or companies of their own. My wife is the Personal Assistant and Secretary for our medium-sized church, and she has been the Personal Assistant to CEO’s and Managers of Fortune 500 companies, Energy producers and Law Enforcement. She assists me in my business.

 

KAPSTONE was born as a plan for post-retirement to continue service to manufacturers, contractors, businesses and organizations that may not have the resources of a company with hundreds of locations and thousands of employees. I also recognized a gap in mentorships, apprenticeships, hazard recognition, and industrial skills education as my employers searched for good, skilled employees.

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Having seen several Industrial accidents over my career, and losing two friends to industrial accidents, I have made safety (especially Electrical Safety) and Equipment Maintenance a focus. Safety and Maintenance Excellence are a passion of mine.