The Andalusia Star News -- Dec. 5, 2007
Richard Morrison, CEO of Molded Fiber Glass Companies, has a plaque outside his office that reads, in Latin, "Si hoc legere scis nimium eruditionis habes."Sounds like a lofty, maybe pretentious corporate slogan calling attention to the difference between the CEO and the working man when in actuality, the sign translates to "If you can read this, you are overeducated."
That sign sets the tone for the relationship of management and workers at MFG."Management isn't greedy in this company, our CEO is compassionate to employees and is interested in and sensitive to their well-being," said MFG/Alabama plant manager Mike Leonard. "Our workers are referred to as teammates because that's how we operate.
"Management also believes in sharing profits with our teammates so we were pleased to have Mr. Morrison come down and issue end-of-year profit sharing checks just before Thanksgiving."
MFG/Alabama began operating in Opp with 15 employees, including office workers, in August, 2005. Now, at the end of their second fiscal year, the company employs 115 people and turned enough of a profit to be able to add a little spice to the holiday season as the company's success trickled down to the workers.During a profitable fiscal year, teammates receive a small monthly profit sharing check and a larger one at the end of the year. This year's disbursement totals $500,000.
"We didn't turn a profit in our first year so this marks a milestone for us," Leonard said. "We have made a lot of progress; moving from producing one nacelle in three days, to producing three every day and we continue to adapt and improve as the technology and the needs of our customers change."
The nacelles are 5,000-pound generator housings for General Electric's wind turbines, huge windmills used to generate electricity. MFG/Alabama is one of two plants in the country producing the fiberglass shells for the 10,000 generators in use by GE worldwide.
"Currently, we are in the process of converting to producing a new design for GE with a different process that will not only be more efficient and faster to produce, but a cleaner and safer manufacturing process," he said. "We have plans for expansion to our building in the near future, and also hope to be adding some new parts to the line we manufacture so that may mean adding some new employees."MFG, founded in Ohio by Morrison's father in 1949, has produced everything from the first fiberglass molded auto body for the Chevy Corvette in 1953, to millions of helmets used in fire departments.