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.
Trey joined our team in February of 2020 – just a few short weeks before we began to feel the full impact and uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic. Over the past two years his teammates have noticed his dedication despite that uncertainty, and they’ve recognized his eye for continuous improvement. His nominator, Jemelle Sanders, says that Trey is always looking for a more efficient way and order of doing things. Trey – thanks for all you do and for helping us all to stay made for the challenge!
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. Our Culture Champion for the month of May 2022 is Chaz Cannova – Corporate Counsel at Crest Operations. Chaz is an incredible example of integrity and doing the right thing, even when no one is watching. He goes out of his way to help and support our teams - doing the hard or unpopular jobs when others are hesitant to step up to the plate. And he does it all with a great attitude and a fun spirit. For example, he is dressed up like the Easter Bunny at our Family Easter Egg Hunt. He was inside a hot costume on a hot day – all so that our little ones could have a special Easter. And he does so much more than this! Like the rest of our legal team, he rises to the daily complex and robust challenges they face while serving all 9 of our companies. Together they build that culture of honesty, accountability, and winning together.
Congratulations to Esther Long, Courier at Crest Operations. Esther is a fantastic team member and part of our Crest Community. She interacts with all our teams in Cenla and is always there with a smile, a cheerful hello, and a helping hand. Her nominator shared that Esther “is never afraid to question the status quo and look for ways to make herself, Crest Properties, and our company better. Her dedication to continuous improvement has helped to modernize processes and policies at Properties and made them more accessible and easier to understand for all our team members.” We are so glad to have her as part of our team.
Congratulations to Sean Jones. Sean is the Training Supervisor at DIS-TRAN Steel, and he’s been an integral part of the team for over 20 years. Sean has left an impact on our teams and communities in central Louisiana and across the country. His nominator, Dylan Huffman, Quality Assurance Inspector from Steel’s remote team, shared how Sean was incredibly helpful and intentional during his training in Louisiana – not only for safety and procedural training but also as a representative of the culture and values of our team. Sean is one-of-a-kind - a man of true loyalty and integrity, and we are incredibly lucky to have him on our team.
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."
Congratulations to Eric White, Production Supervisor for DIS-TRAN Steel Ohio. And both his nominator, Wendy Gintz, and supervisor, Alex Brouillette, share how Eric has stepped up in countless ways to ensure the company’s long-term vision comes to fruition. Industry and product knowledge are incredibly valuable in Steel’s manufacturing processes. Eric recognized the struggles DIS-TRAN Steel Ohio was going through without having someone on-site with the same level of experience we have in Pineville, so he made a huge investment and moved more than 900 miles to Washington Courthouse to help that team grow into the production facility DIS-TRAN Steel needs to be successful. Eric, thank you for being a true example of rising to the challenge. We are incredibly lucky to have you on our team!
s Help Desk Manager, Curtis is integral to our company and has key support for all of our team members. He truly lives our values each day by rising to the challenges he and our team members face, thinking outside the box, and leading our IT Help Desk to solve the problems others shy away from. He has stepped up to the plate during times of transition, policy change, and process implementation. His teammate and nominator, Daylon Bozeman, shared that “Curtis is an exemplary person to work alongside. He is constantly providing valuable input regarding decisions about our infrastructure and how we can better support all of the business units. His work ethic is unparalleled. While taking on new roles, Curtis is also pursuing additional certifications to allow him to progress. He is the epitome of Crest Culture and constantly pushing himself, and his team to further better themselves.” Curtis, thank you for everything you do to support our teams and live our values every day – Congratulations!
Since joining our Crest Family, Kyla has consistently proven to be a dedicated, passionate, and talented addition to our teams. She has stepped up in the face of challenges and new opportunities, and our teams are better for it. Her team members shared how she leaves an impact on them both personally and professionally, by saying that “without her guidance and coaching, I would not be as successful in my position. Her positivity and personable nature make the job enjoyable, and I want to come to work every day. She is always encouraging and steps outside her comfort zone to reach goals to better DIS-TRAN and Crest.” Kyla, thank you for rising to the challenge and helping our teams to win together. We’re lucky to have you as a part of our Crest Family. Congratulations!
Logan's coworkers and supervisors have commented about how his positive attitude, willingness to help, and ability to tackle new challenges have positively impacted Beta, Crest Industries as a whole, and the people around him. Marcus Miller shares that he has been “an amazing resource full of knowledge[…],” and how he believes he is “in a better position to perform my job duties today because of the kindness and willingness to aid that Logan has provided me.” Chris Willcut explains that whether it’s working with other teams to expand his knowledge and abilities or working with vendors to make sure they stay on schedule and within their budgets, Logan is “always up to the challenge.” We are lucky to have you on our teams. Congratulations again and thank you for everything you do to help us all stay made for the challenge!