Tony Fletcher

Working on clean up crew to help the sawmill run more efficiently by keeping key areas of the mill clean and also working with other members of the Service Crew to promote teamwork and integrity.

Receiving and unloading pneumatic trailers in multiple bays while maintaining all safety standards. Checking magnets after each load to ensure product is free of any metal. Taking samples to the lab making sure it is safe to offload.

Operating 7mm & 14mm ply machines. Producing 35 spools per run at about 6 sets per 12 hour shift. Ply is a component used in the production of the tires. Maintaining and trouble shooting machines as required as well as general maintenance between shifts such as changing blades and general cleanup.

Valley Joist was a steel mill that produced Bar Joist, Crimped Web Joist, Long Span Joist, Girders and metal deck. I started as a Shop Order Input operator producing paperwork and shop packages for each work order going into production. Listing all those work orders daily and inputting into production schedule to form a weekly production schedule. I did this up until about 2012, then became Production Manager and continued to help with Shop Order input. I did that until leaving in 2017.

I started as an associate on the Sales floor in 1985. I worked mostly nights as I was attending college classes full time during the day. I continued this until I finished college in 1990. I then became the Sporting Goods Manager and one of the closing Assistant Store Managers until leaving in 1993. Retail was very fast paced and could be stressful at times, but you meet a lot of very interesting people which made it worthwhile.

I began on the rigging table where steel joist were assembled and sent to be welded, painted, banded and loaded. It was a fast paced production line and my first real hard labor job after graduating high school. I leaned quickly and was able to move up to better jobs in the mill. There was no heat or air conditioning so you had to endure some pretty horrific conditions. So much so it convinced me to go back to school and try to better myself. I left in 1985 and used my Profit Sharing money to finance my shool tuition.