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After over three decades in production management in his previous company, Tom Parcell was ready to get back into the plant. He was motivated not only by a curiosity to see how his diverse skill set would translate in a new work environment, but also by a desire to help others build their own. And as our new Operations Manager and Interim PolyChem Manager over the last six months, that’s exactly what he’s done.

“I’ve never been someone who enjoyed just sitting in an office,” Tom explained. “I love being around people, seeing everyone aligned on a shared goal, and working to solve real issues together. I like being able to help others achieve their potential, and I knew getting back into the plant was the best way for me to do that. I also knew if I didn’t take that step now, I never would.”

And it’s no coincidence that in the few months since Tom started, we’ve continued to see exciting progress in our safety efforts across our operations teams.

“Brandenburg had a lot of great things in the works before I got here, but it’s been awesome to see how far we’ve come since I’ve been here,” Tom shared. “Our operators and engineers are increasingly bringing more things to attention to help us be much more proactive in reporting potential issues and catching near misses. You can see how motivated people are to take accountability and help us get ahead of issues before they become problems. And as a result, we’re hitting all the KPIs we have set for ourselves — like consistently achieving 99% schedule adherence.”

While this shared success is obviously a source of inspiration for Tom, it’s actually the ability to help others achieve their personal goals that’s his favorite part about his role at Monument.

“You hate to lose good people, but that’s how you know you’re doing something right!” Tom shared. “When people on my team get to take on new responsibilities or pursue that next opportunity, it’s such a great feeling. I hear over and over how happy our teams are with our current leadership and our work environments; everyone is aligned, and you can see it. That’s what matters most to me.”

Outside of the plant, you can find Tom tending to his own plants — as the proud owner of a new vegetable garden.

“My wife and I just put one in our backyard, and it’s my place to go get some quiet time out in nature,” Tom explained. “I'm growing cucumbers, tomatoes, jalapenos — sticking to the basics mostly.”

Tom’s green thumb is also pretty handy around the house too! He loves working on home projects; his most recent being the construction of a new deck which will soon also include an outdoor bar, just in time for summer. And when he takes a break, he’ll either be out in the garage working on his Jeeps or out driving one. His pride and joy is a ‘92 Wrangler, which he essentially re-built entirely himself after purchasing it 30 years ago.

And as empty nesters, Tom and his wife love to travel whenever the opportunity arises.

“Our two oldest children live in Virginia where a lot of our extended family is, and our youngest stayed in Alabama where we lived prior to our move here,” Tom explained. “Being just the two of us, we love to travel to new places and try to plan at least one big trip a year. We recently got back from Portugal, and so we’ll start planning our next destination soon — we can never sit still for too long!”