Employees express optimism about change
It was hard to tell Trail King had changed hands from the mood at the Mitchell manufacturing plant Tuesday.Workers carried on their regular shifts, chatting and laughing with colleagues and going about their daily routines. Managers met in offices, some behind closed doors, and at least one lengthy conference call was held. But the atmosphere was calm, almost sedate.
Bill Moller, of Mitchell, has worked at Trail King for 23 years. Moller said the change in ownership made sense.
By: Austin Kaus and Tom Lawrence, The Daily Republic
It was hard to tell Trail King had changed hands from the mood at the Mitchell manufacturing plant Tuesday.
Workers carried on their regular shifts, chatting and laughing with colleagues and going about their daily routines. Managers met in offices, some behind closed doors, and at least one lengthy conference call was held. But the atmosphere was calm, almost sedate.
Bill Moller, of Mitchell, has worked at Trail King for 23 years. Moller said the change in ownership made sense.
“It was kind of a natural step for Carlisle to get out of the transportation business,” he said.
The Crown family, which controls CC Industries Inc., the new owner of Trail King, looks like a good fit, Moller said.
“They don’t have to impress any stockholders and they don’t have to impress anybody else,” he said. “That’s a good thing.”
Moller said the change in benefits, including insurance, doesn’t appear to be anything to worry about.
“I’m not worried about it,” Moller said. “It’s just one of the things I would really like to get answers on.”
Bill Crown, the CEO and president, will hold meetings at 10 a.m. and 5:15 p.m. today to inform employees of the changes and to answer questions.
“The people in the know (at Trail King) seem to be real positive about it, so that helps us to be real positive,” Moller said. “Maybe they have all kinds of new things we can do to make things better. You’ve got to think on the positive side.”
Still, he said he was withholding final judgment. “I’ll tell you in a year,” Moller said. “Like anything else, there’s always a certain amount of uncertainty.”
Gene Kelley, of Mitchell, has worked 11 years at Trail King. “We didn’t really fit into Carlisle,” Kelley said. “We were out by ourselves while all the rest of them were grouped together.” He said employees are cautious as the changes unfold. “It’s just a wait-and-see attitude,” Kelley said. Patti Kost, of Mitchell, has spent 26 years as an inventory specialist at Trail King. She was an employee when the Thomsen family sold the business in 1995. “I guess it’s no different than what it felt like when Carlisle bought Trail King,” Kost said.
The company has survived despite layoffs, a sharp dip in sales and the national economic downturn, and she said she remains optimistic about Trail King’s future.
“Every day is a challenge and a change,” Kost said. “It has been for the last year and a half. We’ll do fine.”
Tags: trail king, news, local, fccnetwork
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