TEAMMATE SPOTLIGHT

BLUEPRINT: What jobs have made up your career at Nucor?

JEFF ROBERTSON: I’ve been with the company for over 27 years, and all of my time has been in shipping.

BP: What attracted you to Nucor in the first place?

JR: What originally attracted me to this company was the pay. I come from a not-so-rich family, raised by my grandparents. I had an opportunity once I got out of college to come out here to interview. I wanted to provide for my family in the way that I didn’t have when I was growing up. I saw this as a great opportunity to do that. I was planning for my future.

BP: As someone who worked from the bottom up, what advice do you have for young people looking to get on here, or who are just starting out with Nucor.

JR: Don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone. Make a plan where you can see yourself five years from now. Set some goals, both short term and long-term, things that are attainable. I know at 17, 18 years old you are not always thinking that way, but you’ve got to get your game plan together.

BP: How have things changed since you were that new hire?

Hometown: Wilson

Time with the Company: 27 years

JR: It takes a little more coaching to get new teammates in the right mode. We do set expectations once you’re hired. We set expectations of what we require, and we give evaluations every 30 days to let new hires know where they’re at, where they stand and where we think they need to be or where they should be. This is a great company with lots of opportunity, if you’re willing to learn and work for it.

Intern Supervisor, Nucor Steel Arkansas

Country of Origin: East Africa

Years with Nucor: 1.5

BLUEPRINT: What brought you to the United States?

KENNEDY OGWAMBO: I came to the United States in 2006. I went to Union University in Jackson, Tennessee, and then I transferred to Williams Baptist in Walnut Ridge, Arkansas.

BP: How did Nucor enter the picture?

KO: It was something different, a different opportunity. It’s a great industry to work in and a great company to work for.

BP: Where did you start with Nucor?

KO: I started out working in shipping and receiving. My role was getting the trucks in, unloading trucks, making sure my area was clean, that everybody was safe. After about three or four months they gave me another opportunity with the maintenance department. My new role was trying to see if we could save money by doing more maintenance ourselves, so we did a lot of construction.

BP: Did you have a background in that kind of work already?

KO: I worked for myself for a while on houses and I have a few rental properties. I had to teach myself quickly and figure out how to do what I needed to get done. I learned as I went, building stuff up.

BP: Even though you’re relatively new, is there something about Nucor that stands out to you?

KO: I’ve worked in different factories, and they talk about safety, but it’s just talk. When I was interviewing here, everybody was speaking the same language and I thought, “This sounds scripted.” But now I’m speaking the same language too. Safety, man, safety is really, really big. And that, to me, means that someone cares. I’m not just a number. I’m a person.

I mean, the money is great, but making sure you go home to your family, that’s just the biggest thing. I preach that now; even when I’m at home, I’m thinking about safety.

BP: What’s your advice for new people thinking about applying here?

KO: You have to be positive. Be positive and humble and hungry and everything else will fall into place. There are so many opportunities here, you just have to have the right direction and the right people around you to push you. I have great mentors and great leaders around me and those are the people who I listen and talk to, every day.