Smith-Midland associates gather to honor their own

April 24, 2019 | Associate / Plant News

In mid-April the entire Smith-Midland family gathered for a luncheon to celebrate the work anniversaries of their fellow associates. Of special note was the retirement of Andrew Washington who has spent over 40 years watching the growth of this place and the lives of the people he has worked with. His daily presence will be sorely missed. Queenie Webster and Carlos Martinez Chicas were equally honor for their big milestones of 30 and 20 years respectively. Every associate honored was met with heartfelt appreciation from co-workers and management alike. As each honoree was recognized a letter from their supervisor was read (see each below). Then awards were handed out, speeches made, a meal shared, and good time was had by all.

Andrew Washington – Retiring, 40+ Years

Andrew has been a roll model for all the associates on the building crew as well as being very dedicated and a motivator. He always made sure when prepping the truck that nothing was missing and every building could be finished in a timely manner, creating a happy customer. Andrew knew it all. When the crew runs into problems they could always count on Andrew to come up with a fix. Andrew was more known as the door guy but he was also a layout expert, caulking expert, and made always sure the building was square and plumb. He was a mentor for the whole building crew, trustworthy reliable and a team player. He installed more buildings for Smith-Midland than anybody before him. As the door guy he installed the most complicated custom doors and the crew was always learning from him in all areas of building installation. Andrew will not just be greatly missed by the building crew but also by all of Smith-Midland. We’re going to miss you at work, having a wonderful person like you as our co-worker has been a gift. We all wish you a very pleasant retirement. You will be deeply missed and never forgotten. – Erwin Weidenlener

Queenie Webster – 30 Years

The Steel Shop is honored to recognize Queenie for her 30 years of dedication to Smith-Midland. Queenie’s knowledge and experience has contributed to the success of many projects over 30 years. She has assisted with the Utility projects, custom barrier projects and Man-holes projects. Queenie is reliable and has an outstanding work ethic. Queenie has a special concern for her co-workers and always checks to see how you are doing. It is an honor to work with someone as kind as Queenie. – Curtis Robinson

Carlos Martinez Chicas – 20 Years

Carlos previously worked in the yard as a rigger and is currently working in the finishing department. Carlos takes pride in his work which is exhibited in the quality of all his projects. Carlos was a major contributor to the resurfacing of the Tyson 10208 – 420 panels. Carlos was instrumental in the resurfacing of parapet 10179 Dulles Metro and Latitude job in Arlington. Carlos loves fishing and attending soccer games with his sons. To relax, you can catch Carlos working in his garden after work. – Bucky Whitmer

JR Holmes – 10 Years

JR’s attributes are many-fold; A pioneer for working safely and with respect for the environment, Perfect attendance and punctuality, Very skillful in all aspects of maintenance tasks on all plant and equipment, Extremely knowledgeable about production processes and quality, Very people oriented with good communication skills, A good leader and mentor for all personnel in the maintenance shop, and a very good asset for the maintenance department and Smith-Midland Corp. – Andy East

Luis Nativi – 10 Years

Luis Nativi previously worked in the Finishing Department and now is an asset to the Structural Shop. Luis has assisted with several Sound Wall Stamped Projects, most notably the National Zoo wall. Luis has been making improvements every day since he started. There is a wonderful story about an umbrella hat he made on one extremely hot afternoon. Luis loves to fish and boast about the large fish he is able to catch. – Raul Franco

Chris Reese – 10 Years

An anniversary is a good occasion to look back on what you have done. You can do this with satisfaction and happiness because you have done a very good job. You bring first-class professionalism, determination and passion to our organization. Not a day goes by that we are not appreciative of your dedication. You have showed us that working in a team does not mean “great another one does it.” On your 10 year anniversary with the company, we want you to know what a pleasure it is to work with someone so driven and dedicated as you are. May you continue to inspire us for many years to come and may you always remember how much you are needed, respected and valued! Thank you for being such an important asset to our team. From all of us, congratulations! – Art Miles

Tony Sacra – 10 Years

Tony is a member of the Architectural Shop. Tony has contributed to the success of the SlenderWall Model Cell – CI project and to Cliffside, John Hopkins and the Alexander. Tony is a great team player and supportive as others in the department develop new skills and assume new positions. Tony is a “heck” of a pool player and exceptional at darts. Tony has even attempted Olympic swimming after almost being swept away in his Jeep when a river overflowed. – Alan Pritchard

Jerry Irving – 5 Years

For all the years that I have worked with Jerry, Jerry has always been dedicated to his job, very dependable and always on time for his job. Jerry is a team player and gets along with everyone. Jerry is a crane and Gradall operator and willing to learn new tasks. Jerry is the trainer for new drivers. If there are minor mechanical problems, Jerry’s expertise and knowledge allows Jerry to make repairs to his tractor and return it to the yard. Jerry helps out guys setting buildings and barriers when needed. Jerry’s sense of humor makes working with him a pleasure for the shipping department. – Curtis Kearns

Alan Pritchard – 5 Years

Alan is always interested in how to improve and do his job more efficiently. Alan moved the Q.C. Department away from paper records, and now they do almost all of their work on tablets, phones and computers. This makes retrieval of information fast and efficient. Recently, when we were having an NPCA plant inspection, the inspector asked to see a document. In two clicks of a mouse, there it was. It used to be a “big deal” when the NPCA plant inspector showed up. It is a testament to Alan, the Q.C. Department and all SMC associates that today, when the NPCA Plant inspector shows up, it is business as usual and alarm bells don’t go off. Alan recently was promoted to plant manager, and we wish him success in that position. You can spot Alan around the company wearing orange to support his college, Clemson. – Ashley Smith

Mannie Tibbs – 5 Years

Alan Pritchard and I are agreed that Mannie has a thirst for knowledge. If anything is going on around Mannie, Mannie tends to get involved and tries to learn something about it. Previously, Mannie worked on the Architectural Pouring crew and is currently working in Quality Control. Mannie is bilingual and routinely helps co-workers overcome the language barrier and acts as a translator. Mannie worked on many projects while in the Architectural Shop to include Latitude, Tyson and Port Imperial. Mannie is energetic and has a positive attitude. – Vaughncarl Gardner

Jack White – 5 Years

Jack White is part of the CSS team. Jack contributed to the success of numerous projects. Three major projects that Jack was instrumental to the success of NBA All Star Game in Charlotte, 2017 Presidential Inauguration and the 2015 Pope visit to Washington D.C. Jack has a charming personality. Working with Jack is easy because he has a willingness to work as a team player. – Matthew Smith