Inspiring Everyday: From teen contract operator to Ascend executive

Glenn Drummond had little work experience and a derailed dream of becoming an engineer when a friend told him about a job opportunity at Ascend’s Greenwood plant. 家庭经济状况迫使德拉蒙德, 然后18, 一个学期后离开克莱姆森大学, 他需要一个快速的后备计划.

Drummond was hired as a contract manufacturing operator in 1992. He worked a rotating graveyard shift that was so grueling, he often thought about quitting. 但他坚持了下来，最终成为了一名全职员工.

He didn’t know it then, but he would soon discover that Ascend is a great place to build a career. The company is committed not only to growing its business but also to growing its people. His decision to stay with the company led to a new career path – highlighted with several promotions over 24 years – that he never imagined.

今天, Drummond是Ascend的全球需求规划负责人, 2015年10月，他被提升为该职位. 在他彭萨科拉的办公室里, he oversees inventory in the company’s global warehouses and works closely with the commercial team on forecasting supply to ensure customers’ needs are meet.

“I give a lot of credit to a lot of good people along the way,” 德拉蒙德说. “I just kept my nose in the middle of things and made good, strong relationships. 值得庆幸的是, 我有很多机会, 我可以用我的知识来帮助公司. Ascend在这方面对我非常好.”

成长的机会

他职业生涯的转折点出现在2001年. His supervisor approached him about applying for a quality assurance technician position. Drummond had been working at the plant for nine years and was anxious for a new challenge. He had gained an understanding of the business and felt he could do more for the company, 他说.

他得到了那份工作，从那以后, a determined Drummond progressed to other assignments – each with more demands and responsibilities – and even managed to go back to school to earn a business degree. The position gave him an opportunity to show management was able to contribute to business decisions and make a difference.

After a few weeks in the role, he was called into the plant manager’s office. The plant manager told Drummond he had doubts about whether he could do the job, 但很快德拉蒙德就把它们全部抹去了. 的夸奖, 德拉蒙德说, gave him confidence and reinforced what he always believed about himself – he had more to give and now he had the chance to prove it.

新的挑战和晋升

In 2003, he married his wife Karen and the following year, the couple’s first child was born. Then in 2005, he heard about a job opening through a casual conversation with co-workers. 他开玩笑地说:“把我的名字放在帽子里.两天后, he was offered the frontline operator supervisor position in the plant’s spinning area. He had worked there as a machine operator, so it was a good fit, 他说.

With things moving so quickly on the career front, his wife encouraged him to go back to school. Together, they devised a plan for him to get his degree at Limestone College. Over the next five years, he worked and went to school, taking 12 hours per semester. 他于2010年获得商业管理学士学位.

到2008年，该公司重新调整了员工队伍. 结果是, Drummond was moved to the position of master scheduler in planning overseeing the plant’s production assets and scheduling products to be made to meet customers’ orders leaving the plant. 他说，这是一条陡峭的学习曲线.

“There was only one planner left at the time and he had been there for 45 years,” 他说. “他是我唯一的支持者，他于2009年1月去世. 所以现在，我是唯一一个可以计划和安排的人. 我必须从0加速到60. At the same time, I’m in school and we had a second child in 2008.”

The plant manager asked Drummond if they should hire another planner. 德拉蒙德说不. He decided he would give it his all and try to do his best work in the role. He wiped the slate clean and began streamlining scheduling process making it more efficient.

横向调动增加技能，带来新的角色

“I developed a system so that I could manage all of it,” 他说. “这是今天使用的相同系统. I take a great amount of pride in knowing I did that for three and half years.”

Drummond moved to the Pensacola site in 2012 after being promoted to business operations planner, a job he describes as “the pinnacle of planning for the polymers and fibers division.”  He oversaw a higher level of production, inventory, forecast and demand planning.

到2015年，他准备换一个新角色. The business operations planner role had been reduced to overseeing only fibers to align with the company’s new business strategy. 他想继续发展, so he sought a lateral move and became the North and South America demand planner. The position would move him closer to Vydyne and all of the commercial chain giving him the opportunity to round out his skills, 他说.

Seven months later, the global demand planner position became open. “As I read the description, I thought, ‘I can do this,’” 他说. 他得到了这份工作.

从加入Ascend的第一天起，德拉蒙德已经走了很长一段路. Through passion and hard work, he was able to develop a successful career. 他说，Ascend的其他员工也有同样的机会.

“我会说，不要低估自己的价值. 你有可能付出更多，”他说. “去敲那些门，这样你就可以展示你的潜力. 不要安于现状或自满. 你必须逼自己."