Emerson Chief Operating Officer Ed Purvis and a team of executives visited Alliance Compressors this week to officially present the 2016 International Safety Award to the plant team and visit and thank all employees for their diligence and hard work. Ed and team spent time touring the 400,000 square foot facility talking with employees one on one and culminating in a ceremony where he presented the award to plant manager Ken Gardner.
Ed spent additional time visiting with the Alliance Safety Steering Committee, which is the leadership arm of safety at the plant charged with delivering the continued emphasis and focus on safety as a Value of the business. Mayor Lee Posey, Chamber President Tony Davis, and Acting President of Northwestern State University Chris Maggio also attended a luncheon, spending time with Ed and the team to talk about the strong partnerships the plant has with the community.
During Ed’s presentation he pointed out the magnitude of the achievements among Emerson’s 500+ locations worldwide and among the over 100,000 employees that the Natchitoches facility has, which was one of the reasons it was chosen for this honor.
He said, “The award is certainly about posting great safety numbers such as incident rates but in the evaluation it’s also about the programs and culture in place. Alliance clearly demonstrated commitment by having several innovative programs that evidence a very strong safety culture. You (Alliance team) are now a benchmark for our other facilities who will be looking to you for example and leadership of how it is done.”
Plant manager Ken Gardner commented just how proud he is of the whole Alliance team and shared a quote that he thought was appropriate. “Good deeds should be done with intention, not for attention.”
Gardner said, “We set out to create a culture where there are zero accidents and our employees go home safely to their families at the end of the workday. It is gratifying to see recognition for great results but the focus remains on keeping our employees safe. Ed Purvis’ last comments and challenge to the team was to never stop working on safety because even with record safety numbers we can do better.”
Pictured is the Alliance Safety Steering committee with Ed Purvis. Kneeling on front row from left are Bill Fair, Michael Richard, Alvin Dixon, Michelle Brundige, and Daniel Urrutia. On middle row are Brian Brock, Richard Dove, Chad Waldrip, Priscilla Smith, Emerson COO Ed Purvis, Robin Ryder, Ken Gardner, Tony Johnson, Eddie Foster, David Chesal, and Emerson Corporate Manager of Safety and Health. On back row are Paul Grice, Craig Caskey, Emerson Vice President Global Human Resources Tim Volk, Emerson Corporate Profit Planner, Glen Reffke, Larry Cole, Don Butler, and Tom Frazier.