Page 20 - Fedral Mogul News Collection

Bradford United News - Issue 3

Buffets Extend

JIMMY WHITE Invite List
JIMMY WHITE
JIMMY WHITE
JIMMY WHITE
JIMMY WHITE
Informal Meetings
Gathering Momentum
S PART OF THE GENERAL MOVE
to open up new opportunities
A for employees and senior
managers to meet and talk, in January
the company introduced the idea of
monthly birthday buffets.

HIS NOVEMBER, Jimmy White
T will celebrate 30 years of service
with the company.

Of course, not all of those years have
been under the Federal-Mogul banner.
When Jimmy joined – back in the dark
ages of the last century, otherwise known
as November 1970 – the Legrams Lane
site was an empty shell.
Jimmy remembers trying to work
whilst the inside of the building was
literally being installed around him. “AE
Auto Parts, as it was then, was busy
moving in racking and various other
equipment from its original Foster Square
site. Then, later on we became Turner &
Newall and now, Federal-Mogul.”
Born during the second world war – children, Adrienne and Geogiana who
he jokes that it was actually on Ilkley have now presented the couple with two
Moor but is prepared to admit that there grand-children, Jemima and Evangeline) David Beattie and Beryl Robinson cutting the birthday cake.
might have been a nursing home involved is a keen gardener.
– Jimmy grew up in Bradford. He left With two allotments though, it can Birthday guests and a number of hosting
school at 15 and went into the wool trade be hard work. “But it’s a totally different directors get together over a healthy spread
like so many other people living in kind of work, relaxing somehow, no of food and talk about whatever is on their
Yorkshire during those years. “All totally matter how hard the graft is, and I get minds, whether that’s Bradford City’s chances
gone now. I wasn’t much cop at it so I fresh, home-grown vegetables for the or the picking target.
left and joined the merchant navy to see family and one or two friends and some So far, these sessions have been well
the world. nice flowers out of it. You could also say received, however there has been some
“Actually, I did see quite a bit of it. I enjoy a pint or two and I’m a member concern over selection. The basis of the
Canada, which I loved, and the USA, but of a games league – strictly sitting down invitation list was everyone celebrating a
mostly the European coastal routes. Then stuff, my active playing days (Jimmy used birthday in any given month but, to keep the
I did a stint on the UK coastal routes, to play in the amateur local football numbers manageable, initially invitations
mostly Dundee, Belfast, Ayr – but that league) are definitetly over.” ❖ were restricted to the first 12 birthday names
wasn’t so interesting so I came out of the out of the hat as a random selection.
navy and did a series of odd jobs, in Those not selected would have been
Office, until I came to Legrams Lane in Auld Lang Syne automatic invites the next time round but
shops, various textile firms, the Post
some people felt this still wasn’t fair. So we’re
1970.” changing the selection. Even in those months
Jimmy has worked in just about every ive long service employees, where the numbers celebrating birthdays is
part of the warehouse but, just recently, Fwho between them have quite high, the feeling is that additional
is back in his favourite job – training other clocked up 155 years of service, numbers shouldn’t be a problem. From now
people. Now responsible for the whole were honoured at a special onwards, every birthday employee in each
raft of training – from general induction, month will be invited. ❖
through health and safety, to specific job celebration dinner in May.
training – Jimmy is also responsible for
nd
putting together formal training plans to Presentations at the 32 25 Year Service dinner were made to David Lloyd (sales)
ensure that training is properly scheduled with 25 years’ service and to Richard Bion (export), Geoff Potts (sales), Adrian Walkley
and fits with the overall company (sales) and Charles Waddell (sales) who were each celebrating 30 years’ service.
objectives. Two other thirty-year service men of record but who were not at the ceremony
were Bill Torrance (sales) and Trevor Wardman (warehouse).
“I love it, always have.” Always a high point was the opportunity for colleagues to meet up with long-
servers who have subsequently retired and there was much reminiscing about the
Outside work, Jimmy, who is years before Federal-Mogul acquired the company. This is the first year that employees
4 married to Pam (who came to work from Champion have been included in the dinner.
Matt Pohlman, general manager of European LCD logistics, was guest speaker
in Assembly in 1982, her first full-
time job after having their two for the evening. Hosting directors were David Beattie, Richard Allen and Ian Fleming. ❖