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Employees balance job with school, family at
Graywacke.
By Russ Kent
News Journal
MANSFIELD -- Lou Tommelleo is a full-time student at The Ohio State
University who also works full-time for Graywacke Engineering Inc. The
time he spends in the classroom never conflicts with his work.
"If I've got class in the morning I come in a little later," Tommelleo,
35, of Lexington said. "If my class schedule is a little different next
quarter, I'll adjust my work schedule. It's not a problem."
Sabrina Williamson is another full-time employee at Graywacke. She has a
family at home and often needs to take family members to appointments or
other meetings. Her work and family time don't conflict, either.
"If I've got something I need to do during the day I do it," said
Williamson, 47, of Lexington. "I know I can come here in the evening to
get my work done. Because I have a family at home, this is an ideal
place for me to work. The flex time works out great for me."
Twins Scott and Mark Huffman are the owners of Graywacke Engineering, on
the third floor of Braintree, 201 E. Fifth St.
"We value our employees' time as much as we value our own time," Scott
Huffman said. "It's as simple as that."
That business philosophy is part of the reason Graywacke recently was
chosen a finalist in the Manufacturing/Industrial division of the Ernst
and Young Entrepreneur of the Year competition in northeast Ohio.
In six years, Graywacke Engineering has grown from a small two-man
operation to a company that employs seven full-time workers and provides
alternative power solutions for industry and the United States military.
"It's nice to be recognized by Ernst and Young," Scott Huffman said.
"But that's not why we do this. And we really can't attribute the
nomination to anything we've done. We were nominated because we were
given an opportunity here at Braintree. Without Braintree and without
our employees, we wouldn't be as successful as we are."
Employees at Graywacke are not required to work specific shifts and
don't have to arrive or leave at specific times. They're able to create
their own work schedules, which allows them to take part in family and
community events.
"If Lou has got a test at noon, he should be able to worry about that
test," Mark Huffman said. "If he's in here working, his mind is going to
be on something other than work. Let's let him get that test out of the
way, and he can come in and work later."
The Huffmans, and consequently all Graywacke employees, have tasks and
jobs that need to be completed at certain intervals. Each worker knows
how to complete every step of a project so they can step in at anytime
and accomplish the work that needs to be done.
"Lives change on a daily basis," Scott Huffman said. "It's important for
us to be flexible. If they've got something else to do then they can go
do it. That means they'll be more focused when they do come to work."
The Huffmans think their philosophy produces a healthy bottom line and
maximizes employee loyalty and productivity.
Originally published August 14, 2005 |
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