Marcial Villalobos is the Safety Coordinator for Infra-Metals Marseilles.
Marcial decided that he wanted something more stationary as opposed to his prior job. He would travel out of state every week working as a foreman for a railroad company. Marcial had friends that worked in the warehouse and was referred for an interview which ultimately landed him a crane operator position on 2nd shift in late summer of 2004. Eighteen years later he has never looked back.
Two years later, Marcial moved to first shift crane operator and spent the majority of his time working in bay 1 of the facility. Fast-forward to 2015 and Marcial earned his spot as 3rd shift supervisor.
To say that Marcial is a veteran of the Central Division would be an understatement. He is an asset and a critical component to the success of the facility. He is known for his ability to unload barges in record time, operating forklifts in a pinch, and has a very intimate knowledge on how to pick and handle difficult material. He shares all this accumulated knowledge and experience to help make the rest of the shop team efficient, safe and successful.
Marcial eventually made his way to first shift as a supervisor in 2018.
Career Growth
In the summer of 2022, Marcial became the Safety Coordinator for the Central Division. His nearly two decades of experience are rolled into this very important position; to ensure the safety training for all at this division is done thoroughly and correctly. His responsibilities include OSHA documentation, equipment training, employee safety record keeping, develop training procedures, toolbox talks and safety committee meetings. Marcial has a lot of experience handling a crane and enjoys showing tips and tricks for picking and unloading material.
“I’m happy I came to Infra-Metals. I knew after my initial training that I wanted to stay here until I retire.”
Marcial strives to always help others and really enjoys being a resource for all of the guys in the shop.
“I like being a teacher and training people.”
Reflecting back on his training almost two decades ago, Marcial feels a sense of pride and ownership in his role and takes it very seriously. “Everyone needs to leave the job the same way they came in.”
Safety at Infra-Metals is the highest priority and having Marcial in the seat, along with the team at the Central Division, is a recipe for success.
Hobbies
Marcial enjoys playing his favorite sport soccer and spending time with his family.
Quotation
“If you see something, say something.”
Congratulations Marcial! Team Infra can’t wait to see what you do next!
Ivan Lopez is Inventory Control in Tampa. Fifteen years and still going strong.
Ivan, young and working in Puerto Rico as a cabinet installer, was looking for a better opportunity for him and his girlfriend and to start a life in the states. He was referred by a friend when he began working at his first job stateside in Tampa as a 3rd shift crane operator in 2007. Shortly after he began working he got married and set his sights on a career in steel with us. Typically third shift loads material that was picked by previous shifts. However there are always situations when an operator must pick and load their own material, especially when there are 25+ trucks to load for the day; and if that material wasn’t under a crane way Ivan would hop in a forklift and go get it.
Moving on within Infra-Metals is very common with our employees and Ivan is no exception. In 2011 he moved onto first shift as a crane operator. Although the qualifications and skillset are essentially the same, first shift deals mostly with inbound material and inventory organization, which is a change of mindset and focus. Safety is always on our minds and being in the warehouse requires you to be on your toes. Sorting material with the proper equipment and safety protocols are all part of the job.
“I learned the proper way to stack and organize material, benefiting the next person who interacts with it, making everyone’s job safer and easier.”
Ivan also had to identify the different grades of inventory products and color code it by painting the ends, making it easier to identify when picking. Eventually, in 2012, opportunities opened up in the processing department and Ivan began working as a burn operator working on the plasma and oxy fuel machines. He quickly learned how to program CNC using Pronest and Autocad by working closely with the processing lead man at the time. Ivan would ensure he optimized the material usage by nesting it using these software tools and passing on those savings to the customers.
Career Growth
In 2021, Ivan became head of Inventory Control, a natural fit for someone that possess intimate knowledge of the inventory and warehouse operations. Inventory accuracy is of utmost importance because Infra-Metals uses a tag based tracking system. Almost every piece of material, with the exception of bundled stock, gets an individual tag and Ivan is the person responsible for all of it. When inventory can’t be found, he will conduct a small cycle count of a particular size in an effort to reconcile any variances.
“We operate in a harsh environment and often times tags go missing due to the extreme variations in temperature and humidity.”
His efforts are a critical part of our quality control procedures.
“My personal goal is to have the inventory as accurate as possible and make things run smoother for the shop to ensure quality for our customers.”
Fun Fact: Ivan learned what he calls “Infra English” because he didn’t know the English language when he first arrived. He took a class for 3 months and learned the rest on the job! Because of this it’s no surprise that Ivan enjoys a good challenge. That is his passion in his current role.
“Everyday is different and brings new challenges.”
Quotation
“Work safe, think safe and be the best you can be every single day.”
Hobbies
Ivan’ s kids are his hobbies. His 11 year old son plays little league and travel ball. Additionally his 7 year old daughter is in gymnastics with a 4 year old waiting for her turn. Additionally, Ivan likes to play basketball with all of his children.
Congratulations Ivan on a successful career! We look forward to the next 15 years and beyond!
Kevin Perez is the Quality Assurance Administrator for Wallingford, CT.
Kevin arrived at Infra-Metals in 1996 after an honorable discharge from the United States Army and leaving his job at a convalescent home. His 26 year journey began as a 3rd shift crane operator in Wallingford, CT. From 1998-2006 Kevin worked in the warehouse as a 3rd shift supervisor. During this time, the country experienced the worst terrorist attack on American soil and Kevin jumped at the chance to re-enlist and serve his country. While enlisted, he found himself working security for the 2002 Winter Olympics in Utah.
Career Growth
In 2015 Kevin became the receiving clerk for Wallingford. His responsibilities became very inventory focused. Kevin would schedule and receive all inbound mill deliveries, as well as attend to any mill claims and RMAs. This role would be a stepping stone for his next move.
In 2020, Kevin became the Quality Assurance Administrator. A culmination of work experiences made this move an easy one. He has a vast amount of operations knowledge that helps Kevin to successfully manage the QA program at Infra-Metals. From finalizing load checks, to processing quality checks and finalizing customer documentation for accuracy, Kevin’s is most often times the final person to oversee many task before a delivery is made to our customers.
“I like working with the guys in the warehouse and helping the new guys.”
Kevin works closely with all of the departments and that is something that he really enjoys. Kevin also enjoys his contributions to the toolbox talks. He wants to continue to grow with the company and is always eager to take on more responsibility. “Infra-Metals has provided me with a career and it’s the place I want to retire from.”
Quotation
“Stay Safe”
Hobbies
When Kevin isn’t working he can be found enjoying his motorcycle and practicing at the shooting range.
Congratulations Kevin! We look forward to your many more years with Infra-Metals!
Cheryl Bryant is the Credit Manager for Petersburg, VA.
Cheryl was originally hired in 2015 as an Assistant Credit Manager based in our Home Office of Langhorne, PA. She is a well versed in the credit department and holds a Bachelor Degree in Business Management. Her primary role was to assist the daily tasks of the current credit manager. Cheryl would spend her time opening accounts, setting up terms and releasing orders. Additionally Cheryl enjoyed traveling to other locations such as Tampa to assist the local credit manager at the time.
Cheryl grew into her position, learning new skills from the veteran credit managers and becoming more versed in the system and it’s reporting capabilities. As Cheryl continued to cover other locations when a credit manager was out of the office, she began taking more ownership of the orders and making credit decisions.
“I take personal ownership when I release an order because I also have to ensure we get paid for it and collect it.”
As she assisted her fellow credit managers in Atlanta, Langhorne, Petersburg and Tampa, her knowledge of the business grew and she was prepared for the next step in her career.
Career Growth
In May 2021, Cheryl became the credit manager for Petersburg, VA. Transitioning into the credit manager role was rather seamless she explains.
“Now that I am onsite and in the office, I have more interaction with Sales on a daily basis.”
Many of her daily routine remained the same but she now has full ownership of her customer base and collections. Over the past seven years Cheryl has been part of company that has grown in many areas. She takes great personal pride in the Petersburg facility and her competitive spirit rises up at every month end review to see which division did the best in the group.
” I want to continue in a leadership role to positively affect change and make my facility the most competitive and fun environment.”
Quotation
“Don’t worry, no order gets left behind.”
Hobbies
Cheryl enjoys reading John Grisham and Robin Cook novels and outdoor hiking.
Thank you Cheryl for your hard work and dedication to Team Infra!
Brian Marshall is the General Manager for New Boston, OH.
Formerly a realtor from New Boston, OH, Brian was always plugged in to things happening in his home town. He came across an article in the local newspaper that ultimately changed his career path and it’s trajectory from day one. Brian leveraged LinkedIn at the time and tracked down the current General Manager of New Boston, Oak Williams, to land an interview for a new sales position. Brian left behind his dream of opening up his own real estate company and started with Infra-Metals New Boston in June of 2013 and never looked back.
“It was clear early on that I made the right decision and found myself very blessed to be part of the Infra Family.”
The newly hired staff for New Boston spent the next 4-6 months training in Wallingford, CT. Everyone started by learning the business from an operations viewpoint moving forward and they participated in warehouse training by learning products and first stage processing.
“We learned all of the components of what goes in to making a sale and the inputs that go in to delivering material to a customer.”
At Infra-Metals, our commercial training encompasses the entire picture from learning about the various products and processing equipment to ride-a-longs with drivers, crane and forklift operators and all the software that keeps production humming along. Learning the software system is extensive and training for it is very comprehensive. Account Representatives spend weeks using tools such as Command Center and Multing for practice entering pre-existing orders. Additionally they are also given prospecting tools to help them build their own book of business.
“Infra-Metals has a very entrepreneurial spirit to it’s culture.”
Career Growth at Infra-Metals
In 2018 the existing Sales Manager was promoted to General Manager and Brian saw yet another opportunity for growth and was promoted to Sales Manager. The New Boston plant found out they were in a very heavy processing area and their customers needed it. Brian and his staff, along with upper management, looked at re-tooling their processes to position the New Boston facility to capitalize on the markets demand for value-added first stage processing. They added two new automatic saws to boost capacity, two plasma machines for plate, and a press brake to name a few. Growing the business at New Boston continued for the next 4 years until yet another opportunity presented itself.
Current Day-to-day as General Manager
In June of 2022, Brian was named the General Manager of New Boston, OH. The role is new for Brian but for him it has really been all about the people and overseeing the business. Maintaining the legacy and culture left behind by the prior two GM’s and consistently reinforcing that message is Brian’s main focus. As the responsibilities have changed from Sales Manager to General Manager the goal remains the same , which is to promote a safety first and commercially successful business through positive and effective leadership across all levels.
“To achieve this everyone must align with our safety policies and procedures.”
This role affords Brian the ability to affect positive change on the people and business. He looks forward to nurturing new leaders in all positions within the facility and lend his experience wherever he can.
Hobbies
Brian’s daughter is active in travel volleyball and softball and that’s how they spend their vacations.
“I’m a father and that comes first. We have enjoyed traveling the country together and I cherish the memories that we have made through competitive sports.”
Quote
“Whatever you vividly imagine, ardently desire, sincerely believe, and enthusiastically act upon, must inevitably come to pass“ – Paul J. Meyer
Anthony Forino is the Processing Supervisor for Marseilles, IL.
Anthony “Tony” Forino has been a veteran of the Marseilles, IL facility for over 18 years. He came to Infra-Metals in 2004, already experienced in CNC machine and fork truck operation from his previous employer. His parents lived near a barge terminal and heard about the company and decided to reach out to the operations manager at the time. For the next few years Tony operated the burning oxy, plasma, camber and saw machines. Training in those early days was peer-to-peer and thus he worked closely with other shift supervisors to learn the ropes. It is of notable mention that Tony holds the record in Marseilles for the most beams cambered in one evening at 76. Anyone is up for taking on that challenge!
Career Growth at Infra-Metals
In 2006 Tony moved on to First Shift Crane Operator, where most of the inbound and offloading occurs. Shortly after Tony was then promoted to second shift supervisor in 2007 where he would remain for the next 7 years. Working as shift supervisor, you are the go-to expert for all of the personnel working that particular shift. It is a fast pace environment because 2nd shift is preparing picks and processing to be completed and loaded for that evening and next day deliveries.
“The role can be challenging as customer needs or requirements change daily so you never know what you’re going to run into each day.”
In 2014, Tony made another career move and was promoted to Processing Supervisor.
Current Day-to-day as Processing Supervisor
The role of processing supervisor poses it’s own set of challenges. Customers still have new daily requirements and the processing department has to be agile enough to compensate for these demands. He works to schedule all of the work for the 3 shifts that goes through the blaster, cambering, saw, and t-splitter machines as well as all of the consumables needed to keep them running. Additionally, Tony works closely with the Sales department and coordinates with the Traffic department to ensure on-time delivery of quality work for our customers.
Tony notes that working at Infra-Metals has been a journey and a rewarding one with a positive culture and an emphasis on safety.
“The company treats it employees great and I plan on being here another 20 years.”
Tony even has family working with us with a cousin and his cousin’s father. Having been with us for so many years, Tony has seen a lot and laughed a lot with his fellow co-workers. One story he remembers well was when he was on second shift and a raccoon got its head stuck in a peanut butter jar. He watched as Dean Fox (Maintenance) was whacking it with a board trying to get the vermin out of the warehouse, laughing hysterically at Dean. Eventually the raccoon jumped into the barge slip to escape Dean’s “Hacksaw Jim Duggan” rant.
Hobbies
Tony is a family oriented man and enjoys spending time with them boating, waterskiing and fishing.
Quote
“Theres no stupid question. If you’re unsure just ask!”
Kyle Ratliff, General Manager for Infra-Metals Virginia, has been with the company since May of 2000, where he began his career as a Sales Representative in, what was the first Mid-West location for Infra-Metals, a former facility in East Chicago, IN. After a few short years in Indiana, Infra-Metals opened a brand new green field facility in the summer of 2002 in Marseilles, IL where a portion of the team migrated to operate. Kyle soon became the product manager for the division’s plate products in 2004. In addition to his sales duties, he was also responsible for purchasing and forecasting of the plate inventory and keeping the sales team informed on the product line. “It enlightened me and afforded me a sense of stewardship of inventory which gave me a broader view of the business beyond sales.”
Kyle remained in these roles for the next 10+ years when the opportunity for growth came knocking. A position for Sales Manager in the Petersburg, VA location became available and Kyle jumped at the opportunity for his next career move.
Career Growth at Infra-Metals
In July of 2013, Kyle, along with his wife and two kids, made the move to Virginia. This was his first experience with managing people. “Managing people gave me experience with the most important component of any company, the human capital.” Kyle was tasked with managing 9 direct reports which set the stage for where he would end up years later. He continued his role as a product manager but took on the additional responsibility of buying plate for the Baltimore, MD location as well. This allowed Kyle to leverage some additional buying power and gave him opportunities to collaborate on more projects. Buying for Baltimore also trained him in space allocation for the products due to the limited availability in that warehouse.
Current Day-to-Day of General Manager
In January of 2019, Kyle was promoted to General Manager of the Petersburg operation. The division set a safety goal for one year and ended up far exceeding their expectations. Kyle remarks that keeping safety at the forefront has become a daily task and it takes the entire management to set the tone and reinforce the message. He worked closely with his leadership team to create a trusting environment that promotes an open conversation where employees can report unsafe situations without fearing any scrutiny or discipline.
The Virginia Division recently celebrated 1000 days of safety without an OSHA recordable incident which is no small feat. In past years, 3 or more recordables per year was the norm. To realize such a milestone took a change in mindset and countless hours of encouragement, pre-shift toolbox talks and engagement. “We encourage our employees to self-report on safety issues. It gives them a sense of ownership. The longer the incident free streak remains the more vigilant employees become because nobody wants to be the person responsible for resetting the clock.”
From his early days in sales training, Kyle learned how business flows through the shop and now he oversees the wellbeing of all the personnel that make it possible to run that business.
Kyle mentioned he enjoys trusting and allowing his staff to have the freedom to make the right decisions and celebrate their victories together.
A little know fact about Kyle is that before he made his way to Infra-Metals he worked as a mentor for underprivileged children while trying to decide what he wanted to do for a career. Fitting in as much as he looks to inspire those he works with…
Hobbies
Clemson Superfan, Golf and Bird Hunting
Quotation
“No job is so important and no service is so urgent that we cannot take time to perform our work safely” – Bell System.
Nick Grieco is the Operations Manager in Wallingford, CT. Originally from Connecticut, Nick spent time in Florida working for a low voltage security company where he installed entry, emergency and security systems. Nick arrived back home in Connecticut where he took a warehouse position in January of 2011. He went through peer training for crane operation and quickly became a loader. Several Nor’easters later, in June of 2013, Nick became the Lead Operator of the Wheelabrator. This machine, for those not aware, is basically a building unto itself. He managed all of the workloads for the three shifts that operated it, handled the maintenance and consumables as well as scheduled the personnel.
“Infra-Metals is the land of opportunity.”
Career Growth at Infra-Metals
Further applying his skills learned over the previous six years, Nick took on yet another role. In 2017 he became the Processing Supervisor for second shift and several years later moved to first shift. The opportunity afforded him to manage more of his peers while still focusing on processing. Now, he was responsible for all of the machines in the Wallingford facility. “I had a closer relationship with traffic and maintenance than ever before.” Nick continues for the next several years in this role and ultimately landed on first shift and operating in a more managerial aspect.
Current Day-to-day as Operations Manager
In April of 2021, Nick was named Operations Manager for Wallingford. Nick’s daily responsibility now encompasses all of the operations within the New England facility. “I like working with people and I get to do that everyday with the best.” He relates well to other employees regarding the decision to work at Infra. We have all sorts of people here that come from different backgrounds, but they all have the same opportunity. He feels that its important to stay at eye level with all employees.
“Times are changing and the workforce is changing.”
Additionally Nick work’s closely with the general manager to protect the company’s most valuable investment…The employees that work at Infra-Metals. When asked how he continues to keep the safety message front and center his response was to keep the supervisors involved in the mission and believing the vision. They have to be lifted up and encouraged to keep the future of the safety program moving forward and firmly implemented. Building a trusting relationship with his guys remains a top priority in the success Wallingford and he continues to foster an environment that promotes open communications when problems and safety issues arise.
Hobbies and Interests
When not overseeing the warehouse operations and employees, Nick can be found enjoying family time, golf and bowling.
Craig Crispens is a Account Representative in Wallingford, CT. Craig’s 19 year journey with Infra-Metals began in 2003 where he started as the IT Manager in Wallingford. He came from a network consulting career with a focus on infrastructure and scalable email systems. Craig saw an opportunity to build his own IT department from the ground up.
“There was an entrepreneurial spirit to Infra-Metals which drew me to the company.”
At that time, the computer networks at Infra-Metals were being built out, migrating from a workgroup to domain based infrastructure. His primary responsibility and focus was to build out and support the new network infrastructure and enable the various departments to function properly on a daily basis. Craig was also tasked with supporting the Unix based ERP software that Wallingford was running at that time which gave him the experience necessary for future roles within the company.
Career Growth at Infra-Metals
Several years later a position became available in the traffic department for Traffic Manager. Traffic at Infra-Metals is one of the busiest departments in the company due to it’s interactivity with both sales and operations. Craig started this new role on his birthday in November of 2005, by learning how to build loads and coordinate with the warehouse. One of the most significant changes was the safety culture which led to a shift in company culture. Infra-Metals has always paid attention to safety but now there was a spotlight on it where the conversation was upfront and center on a daily basis. Craig developed his own approach to managing the traffic department by successfully coordinating the inbound and outbound deliveries as well as freight rates, office staff and company drivers.
In July 2021, Craig decided that he wanted to work on the commercial side of the business and took on the role of Account Representative.
Current Day-to-day as Sales Representative
“It was time for a change and I wanted to take on new challenges.” Craig functions mostly in a purchasing capacity, buying many of the products the company sells, but does handle some accounts on a daily basis. Each member of sales effectively runs their own small business, further enforcing the entrepreneurial spirit that defines Infra-Metals company culture. He enjoys analyzing the data to find opportunities for business decisions and actionable ways of putting that information to use.
“I don’t let anything sit idle on my desk!”
Hobbies and Interests
Craig and his wife now find themselves as empty nesters and really enjoy getting out to watch their two girls play college lacrosse. Many of you may also know that Craig is a huge UCONN men’s and women’s basketball aficionado and he annually organizes the NCAA tournament brackets for us all to compete in. Additional interests are finance and sports in general.
“Any thing is possible. It’s just a matter of cost and effort.”
Carlton Williams is the Processing Coordinator for Atlanta, GA. Carlton found his way into the steel industry after working as a commercial driver for a transportation company.
He has seen many different business entity transitions throughout his career, all while being employed at the same location. Carlton’s journey began in the summer of 96′ when he was hired on as a parts cleaner for a steel fabrication, erection and distribution company. Eventually he began working in the field erecting buildings for the likes of CVS and Walgreens. In the early 2000’s the company was purchased by another local steel distributor where they focused only on steel processing and distribution. His role changed from fabrication and erection to material handling.
Career Growth at Infra-Metals
In 2003 Carlton (A.K.A. “Josh Jr.”) moved to the processing department where he worked as a saw operator. Several years later he began working as a welder/fitter where he processed plate parts for TUG, which manufactures aviation ground support equipment. As the company continued to grow so did Carlton’s experience when in 2012 he was promoted to Machine Operator Leadman for the burning department. He found this role to be very rewarding. “A lot of the work we did was visible all over the city such as signs and ornamental designs.”
In 2021, after almost 10 years running the processing machines, Carlton was promoted again; this time to Processing Supervisor.
Current Day-to-day as Processing Supervisor
Carlton is now responsible for all of the processing and machinery at the Atlanta facility. He manages all the personnel and scheduling maintenance for the machines as well. He enjoys the challenges that come figuring out how to shift work around between processing centers, especially when machines are down for maintenance. “The fast paced environment keeps you on your toes and the guys respect someone that’s willing to get in the trenches with them.”
His role is more dynamic as well since he is a liaison between the processing department and the commercial team. Carlton has to ensure that everything keeps flowing smoothly through the shop to the trucks waiting to be loaded. Additionally he works with operations to continuously improve the safety and awareness for everyone in his department. “The emphasis on safety has made the warehouse and the equipment the operators use a much safer place to work and that goes a long way to promoting a good working environment.” He notes that the training on equipment and software was much more comprehensive than he ever had working with previous employers.
Carlton’s career has spanned more than 25 years and he continues to look towards the future with interest in managerial opportunities with Infra-Metals.
Marcial decided that he wanted something more stationary as opposed to his prior job. He would travel out of state every week working as a foreman for a railroad company. Marcial had friends that worked in the warehouse and was referred for an interview which ultimately landed him a crane operator position on 2nd shift in late summer of 2004. Eighteen years later he has never looked back.
Carlton Williams is the Processing Coordinator for Atlanta, GA. Carlton found his way into the steel industry after working as a commercial driver for a transportation company.