The Crest Industries Culture Corps is a group of team members nominated and recognized by their peers as examples of our Values in action. Each month, one member of the Culture Corps is recognized as a Culture Champion for their outstanding efforts of living our Values and helping our teams, customers and communities grow beyond what we believe is possible. These Culture Champions receive the “Walkie-Talkie Award” for their commitment to walking the talk and living our our Values every day.
We extend trust, build confidence, and hold each other accountable.
We win when we all win together. We create mutual success and build trusting, lasting relationships.
We are never content with "that's how it's always been done." We question to understand, learn, continuously improve, and innovate.
We ambitiously turn challenges into successes through perseverance, resilience, and a will to win.
In less than a year as a part of the Mid-State team and Crest Family, Nick has showcased a strong dedication to serving our customers, supporting our teams, and living our values through the work he does each day. His nominator, Laura Jolly, says that he “learns quickly and has done a great job in the vending area of our warehouse,” and Tony Loken agreed whole-heartedly saying that Nick is a great example of our values in action. Nick, thank you for everything you do to support our teams and put our values into action each day!
Each month, we recognize a member of the Culture Corps as Culture Champion for their outstanding efforts to help our teams, customers, and communities grow beyond what they believe is possible, and Josh embodies that within our team. He has been integral in starting up operations and research at Avant Organics. The work he performs in the lab, his dedication and ability to follow through, lead our teams, and rise to meet the challenges and high standards of the industry are inspiring to the team. Wesley Fontenot shared that Josh is a true go-getter and innovative problem solver within the team. He says, “as an R&D chemist, [Josh] represents the heartbeat of this company and continuously provides new ideas [and he’s] a constant source of innovation that is invaluable to Avant and Crest.” Josh, thank you for being a great example of doing the right thing, winning together, and questioning the status quo. Josh is a vital part of our Avant and Crest Family, and we are lucky to have him on our team. Congratulations again!
Each month, we recognize a member of the Culture Corps as CULTURE CHAMPION for their outstanding efforts of living our Values and helping our teams, customers, and communities grow beyond what they believe is possible. For August, our Culture Champion is Herman Norris, Warehouse Leader at Mid-State Supply. The entire Sales Team at MSS came together to nominate Herman and spotlight him for his dedication to living our values in the work he does each day. The team shares that Herman is the go-to example for living out MSS and Crest’s purpose and values – especially while dealing with the demanding requests and unexpected challenges that come with serving Mid-State’s customers.
Chris has been with the Crest Family of Companies for more than 13 years, but he recently moved into the Proposals department at Beta Engineering in February of this year. Chris was nominated by his supervisor, Steve Ganey who spotlighted Chris for his dedication, leadership and industry knowledge. Steve shares that “To do a good job on a task is great and needed, but to do it consistently is something that we all should strive for, and we see this from Chris on a daily basis - both as a team member and as a leader. We at Beta and in the Proposal Department greatly benefit from his leadership skills and strong knowledge of our industry.” Chris has been a great addition to the Proposal Group at Beta and has helped in their continuous improvement process to continue to boost both Beta and Crest as a whole. Thanks for everything you do, Chris!
Rob has been with our teams for more than fifteen years, and he is an excellent example of our values in action. He is constantly looking for ways to improve and think outside of the box to create solutions that benefit his team and Crest as a whole. Rob’s nominator said that his dedication to CNR and Crest is “truly impressive” as he values collaboration, is willing to engage in healthy conflict, and holds himself and others accountable to deadlines and commitments. Rob’s approach to challenges, dedication to learning new skills and stretching his technical knowledge are perfect examples of rising to the challenge and questioning the status quo.
Aaron joined the team at Optimal in 2017, and his team shares that he is about as close to an ideal team member as you can get. Darnell Gremillion says that “Aaron is always making sure everyone has what [we] need to be successful.” Jacob Fontenot shares that Aaron “truly embraces the values of “we win together” and “we rise to the challenge.” He is always working diligently to be sure we’re ready for the next job."
Terry joined the DTPS team at the central Louisiana port eight years ago, and he is an incredible example of our values in action – especially when it comes to rising to the challenge and the DTPS core values of “Say it, do it, own it” and “Give.” His nominator says one example of this was in 2022. "we had a bus pipe issue when a vendor was late shipping us a piece for a high-profile project. The customer was going to be at our facility in a few days to inspect their structure, so we were under a major time crunch. Terry helped us come up with a solution and then came in on a Saturday to make sure the job was done before our customer arrived. This affected 2 things: (ONE) Our customer arrived and the bus was up on the structure and they didn't know any different (and TWO) the structure was able to ship on the scheduled date and deliver on time - all thanks to Terry!"
Richard has been on our team for 5 years, and more than 7 team members nominated him to the Culture Corps. "Richard has gone above and beyond in his support of our teams," says Gaylene Davis. "His work ethic is exemplary, and he takes on challenges with intense determination and without complaint. Although he has high demand on his time, he is always courteous, kind, and willing to help others. Richard is a good example to all of us. I appreciate and respect him more than he knows." "When I started at Crest as an intern, Richard helped me develop professionally by always taking the time to explain things to me," says Graham Pearson. "Through his selflessness and dedication to his work, Richard has inspired me and helped me grow beyond what I believed was possible. He truly embodies all of Crest Industries' core values."
Cody joined the team at the Pineville plant more than 10 years ago, and his supervisor, Shawn Dabbs, says that Cody is a true leader at DIS-TRAN. “Cody has proven his leadership abilities by always showing support to his team and helping others to succeed. He is reliable and dependable and leads with confidence. He is passionate about the work he does and the success of the teams who work with him.”
Before moving to his new position, Scotty was a Senior Estimator for the team where he supported Beta’s growing proposal requests and headcount. Last year, the Proposal group at Beta underwent substantial growth, and his then collogue, now supervisor Chris Lohman, shared that without Scotty's mentoring, the team wouldn’t be where they are today. “Scotty [took three new estimators] under his wing and has been a major part of their growth and learning.”
Renee’s supervisor and nominator, David Ducote, shares how she has taken on new responsibilities while working remotely from North Dakota and how she rises to the challenge every day. Recent supply chain issues and the development of Epicor have created some large challenges over the past year, and Renee has managed the changes very well. David says, “Renee approaches every situation with a positive energy and see's things through to the end.”
Susan has been with our team for 5 years, but she has risen to the challenge over the last few months in her new position. She welcomed the opportunity and has excelled in her role supporting our teams at Optimal both in the hiring office, in the field, and our offices in both Texas and Louisiana. She lives the Optimal values "we take care of our people" and "we value relationships" through the work she does and the strong support she brings to our team.