Elaine Golden

How long have you worked at Hytrol? 

It’ll be 13 years in August.

What drew you to Hytrol?

I worked for a vending company, and then out before that was General Electric. They closed the door, so I was working in between jobs before I got a chance to come here. I came up here and I got on. I started off as a temp.

Summarize what you do at Hytrol.

Everything. I’m a subber. I was hired in as a sub. I subbed up all the accumulation. I got everything ready for the guys. When they set up, all they had to do was just put it together. I had everything organized for them and all they had to do was just pick up what they needed. They didn’t have to worry. Everything was there. So, that’s what I do. Now, I do chain. I do all kinds of parts orders because I’m not doing much accumulation. I can build some small units, but I do whatever they want me to do. That’s what I do.

What has the experience been like for you here?

Well, I enjoyed working at General Electric because I’ve never worked in a factory before. I’ve worked in factories through vending. I’ve done a lot of vending. I enjoyed my job there, but I like Hytrol better because they’re family-oriented. You don’t find that anywhere. I’ve been to a lot of factories with the vending companies I’ve worked for. I’ve been in El Paso. I’ve been in Charleston, South Carolina. About every plant here in Jonesboro, except for the newer plants. This is the only one I know of that’s family-oriented. That makes a difference. It makes a difference when you’re working with your coworkers out there because when you’re a family-oriented worker, you support one another. That’s what I like about it. 

How would you describe Hytrol to someone who has never heard of it?

Everybody asks me, “How’s it like at Hytrol?” And I tell them it’s family-oriented. I knew Mr. Loberg personally, and I appreciate him. He had a dream to improve his family life, which we all do.  But his dream went further. He went to a vision. We’re in a vision. I tell people that Hytrol really works with their people if they’ll work for them. That’s all there is to it. They ask me, “Is it hard to get on?” I said, “Well, if you’re a good worker and you’ve got an outstanding record, you shouldn’t have a problem.” I have a lot of people asking me about Hytrol. Of all the plants that I’ve worked, this is the only one I know of that’s family-oriented.

What was your relationship with Mr. Loberg?

I did the vending out here years ago. I was married at the time, and I had my son. He was 18 months old, and I did the vending and they wanted me to work on Saturday. I said, well, I can’t. I can’t get a babysitter. Anyway, Madeline Durham is my cousin, and she worked with Mr. Loberg. She told him the situation. I didn’t have to worry because Mr. Loberg came and picked him up and carried him all over the plant. He called Mr. Loberg “PawPaw.” We left for El Paso when he was four. So, he got to come out here every Saturday. Mr. Loberg loved it. They called him the “Hytrol Baby.” That’s what I’m saying. Family oriented.

I witnessed a lot of his involvement with the employees and that’s another reason why I wanted to come out here, too. I wish he was still here. He went up to one guy, shook his hand, called him by name, and said, “Is your dad doing okay? Did he get out of the hospital?” Mr. Loberg went up to another guy and said, “How’s the wife and the baby? The diapers and the flowers are on the way.” I just love stuff like that. Now, he would get on to you if you didn’t work. He was a firm person, but yet he was caring, he cared for his people.

Can you share a meaningful moment where you needed help or had to work hard to overcome a challenge?

When I have a problem out there, we work together. I know who to go to get the answers I need. If I can’t get it there, then I go higher. That’s the way I work. I know who to trust and if I couldn’t get the answers from my boss, I could go up to CQR. I would ask all of them, “Hey, make sure I’m doing this correctly. I want it done right before it goes out the door. It’s got to be perfect.” I’ve helped a lot of other people that’s had problems. I’ve gone from one cell to the other and helped people. So, if I need them, they help me. I’ve done stuff, too, that I go to them and say, “I want to make sure I do this correctly. I’ve never done this before, give me an example of how you do it so I can do it as well.”

How has Hytrol helped with your professional development?

I’ve learned a lot. I love to learn. At first, I didn’t know anything about Hytrol. I thought, “I don’t know if I can do this or not.” And something said, “Hey, you’ve got the basics. Just transform from here to Hytrol and it will all fit right in.” And it did. I had a very good person to train me. Mr. Thomas was the one that trained me, and I’m so thankful that he did because he trained me in everything that I did correctly. That’s what I want. He was a perfectionist, and I told him, “I’m more perfectionist than you are, so we’re going to work together.”

Finish this statement: When I think of Hytrol, I think of ______.

When I think of Hytrol, I think that I’m thankful because a man had a dream that went into a vision. That vision is still growing today. That tickles me to death. It makes me feel good that one man had a dream and it’s grown so much. Every one of us has got a good paying job. We have a good paying job. We have stability. We have good people to work with. We work together. We help each other. Family oriented is about the best I can say because, like I said in other places, I didn’t see that. That means a lot to me.