Eleven operators from an Orangeburg company specializing in the distribution of elevator guide rails find themselves guided by principles that make their work day run smoother.

Safety, teamwork and honesty are the three main principles upon which the employees of Monteferro USA Inc. have built a foundation that Bill Welch, the company’s general manager, says makes his job much easier. He says it is a good feeling to know that he has a reliable, talented group of team members he can depend on to give him the facts that make mistakes easier to work through.

It is the team members’ dedication to conforming to the principle of integrity that has earned their designation as the exemplification of being “truthful” by the Orangeburg County Community of Character initiative.

The team members include: Jimmy Bookard; Herbert Clarke; Tommie Cleckley Jr.; John Green; Rocardo Holloway; Chris Minus; Matt Pope; Booker T. Tyler; Susan Ward; Marty Williams and Ron Winbush.

The team members said they are grateful for the honor.

“We rely on each other. One person can do a job, but if it comes out wrong, he knows there’s someone that will come behind him and let him know that the job is done wrong, cut wrong or packaged wrong. But he won’t get an attitude because he’s told that he was wrong,” Winbush said.

“How truthfulness helps the team is that it brings everything and everybody to the table with everything equal. That means nobody is hiding anything from the next person. We have to pass down any communication no matter what it is,” Cleckley said. “I feel as long as everyone is on the same page each and every day, our work force moves smoothly. Everyone really enjoys coming to work.”

Pope said, “I just got here,but it’s probably one of the best jobs I’ve had. I felt right at home when I started working here.”

The team members said Welch provides a good example of honesty that they can follow themselves.

“When you’ve got a boss like Mr. Welch, you learn to be open and honest. He shows the respect that he has for us, and we show him the same respect,” Winbush said.

Tyler said the whole team is made to feel important and is rewarded for being open and honest throughout any challenges the workday may bring.

“In a lot of jobs, the boss ain’t concerned with what’s going on out on the floor. They always pass everything through the supervisor, but Mr. Welch talks to the supervisor and he talks to us. You learn to be honest from that,” Tyler said.

Ward, the team’s only female, said the work environment indeed fosters the ability to be honest and then make improvements upon the work performance.

“When we make a mistake, we use that as a learning tool. We all get together and say, ‘OK, this is what happened. This is what we should have done to prevent this.’ We’ve all been raised differently, but we all have the same work ethic that was probably ingrained in us as we were growing up. We’ve come through different work experiences, but from my experience, I’ve learned that you can really accomplish a lot in being honest in what you do,” Ward said.

Winbush said, “It’ll keep you off the unemployment line. I know a couple of people that wish they had told the truth.”

John Green, who first became acquainted with Welch during 36 years of service at Orangeburg’s Albemarle Corp., is a recent hiree. He said he appreciates the “unique environment” in which he and his colleagues are able to work.

“Mr. Welch’s philosophy on management in this day-to-day operational plan is a little bit different than any I’ve encountered. He gives you the opportunity to think on your own and work through things. He’s always there with some type of guidance. He fosters honesty in you, but each individual had some special trait that they brought in,” Green said.

Bookard said Welch is equally deserving of his own award.

“Even though he’s the boss, he always asks us our opinion about things business-wise. A lot of managers don’t put you in line to do that. It’s like, ‘It’s my way or no way.’ It’s not like that with him,” Bookard said.

Clarke said the team has become like a family.

“That’s the most interesting thing about the whole thing. We’re like a family and Mr. Welch is like our ‘Pops.’ We all feed off of each other. That’s a great feelings,” Clarke said.

Welch is equally appreciative of his work force.

“We’ve worked here since May of last year without a reportable injury. That’s being honest with each other, helping each other and working as team,” Welch said.

T&D Staff Writer Dionne Gleaton can be reached by e-mail at dgleaton@timesanddemocrat.com or by phone at 803-533-5534.

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