Alex Wamsley is currently a Sale Representative in our New Boston, OH facility. He has been with Infra-Metals since November of 2014. Alex found Infra-Metals through word of mouth while working for a funeral services company. Alex jokes that he was looking for a more “lively” work experience. When he came to us he didn’t have any prior work experience in steel or distribution. Alex accepted a position as Crane Operator, in what was then a relatively new service center to Infra-Metals. Training was conducted through hands on experience with peers and he excelled at his job. He was happy slinging the chains for a little over a year when a warehouse supervisor position became available.
In 2015 he became 2nd Shift Supervisor. It was a natural fit for Alex because he was already very familiar with operations and training was done through working closely with the Operations Manager and other Supervisors. Being responsible for more people now gave him an opportunity to lead by example which he has done well at. Always looking forward, Alex seized the opportunity to take a hand in sales in 2018.
Career Growth at Infra-Metals
Alex feels that the ability to get better as a group is very rewarding and enjoys the journey so far. The entire workforce at New Boston has matured collectively and as as result they have gotten more efficient and productive as a service center. Community feedback and suggestions have improved the company. Engaging in conversations at all levels including upper management has been essential because they listen to feedback/suggestions and implement solutions for the greater good.
Alex notes that sales training was straight forward since was already familiar with the software in his prior role as Supervisor. Being a Sales Representative gives you a chance to build a business of your own by building accounts. He worked closely with the sales staff to understand the day to day commercial business along with in house training from senior sales staff.
Fun Fact
“I dug graves as a summer job before coming to Infra-Metals.”
Current Day-To-Day
The fast pace in the commercial environment is what Alex really enjoys. No day is ever the same. “You never know what you’re coming in to”. He notes how proud he is of New Boston because of how much throughput the warehouse team is able to achieve. Alex enjoys the thrill of selling in a commodity based market and appreciates the tight knit community feeling his colleagues and customers provide. “I’ve developed great friendships with everyone.”
Amy Haney, Sales Manager for Infra-Metals Marseilles, IL
Amy Haney is currently the Sales Manager in our Marseilles, IL facility. Amy’s prior experience in the hospitality industry has enabled her to polish her approach towards customers’ and their needs. She dedicated her time and energy in that space for 8 years through college and after, working her way up the ranks to become the general manager. Amy was seeking new opportunities and after being referred by another employee, she began her career with Infra-Metals in 2008 as a Sales Representative.
Career Growth at Infra-Metals
Amy worked closely and was mentored by her then Sales Manager/General Manager for the next five or so years learning and servicing accounts until she was offered the additional responsibility of managing our Tubing Products. Managing the purchasing of tubing products helped Amy build confidence in herself while further diversifying her knowledge of those products and their real life applications. She spent her time reviewing current trends and forecasting for the future needs of the division. “Working for Infra-Metals is more than a job…I love the relationships I’ve developed with my team, customers and suppliers…their value is beyond measure.” She believes those relationships are the foundation for her success.
In 2018, Amy became the Sales Manager and still maintains her role as Product Manager. Amy has seen many changes and grown with Infra-Metals over the course of her 13 years. She participated in the centralization of the company, which has strengthened our position in the marketplace. Since Amy has been with Infra-Metals, there has been a positive culture shift with an emphasis towards its employees. This wellbeing effort has proven not only to foster a very healthy work environment, it creates high performing productive members of the team that want to show up for you.
Current Day-To-Day
Amy feels it’s important to lead by example and be of service. She wouldn’t ask anything of her staff that she wouldn’t personally do. She can regularly be found working one on one with her teammates, cultivating and professionally developing each of them. Her goal is to maintain the highest level of customer service while keeping her team motivated, engaged and on track. Every day is different and that brings new and exciting challenges. Working for Infra-Metals offers a dynamic environment that is fast paced with limitless possibilities.
“The ceiling is as high as you set it!”
Amy looks towards the future where she would like to be in upper management and help continue to cultivate a place where people want to work. She wants to further nurture the culture where people want to show up for you and feel fulfilled doing so. Working in the steel industry as a female comes with some challenges but by no means does she see it as a weakness. Amy notes the tremendous support she has garnered from her coworkers and peers and feels that her role has been very rewarding. In addition to her work responsibilities, Amy also enjoys spending time with her husband and children, planning family vacations. We should also mention she’s a foodie and loves to cook.
We are pleased to have such a valuable asset on our team!
Favorite Quote
“Progress not perfection.”
UPDATED as of 4/1/2022: At the time of writing this piece Amy was the Sales Manager of Marseilles. We are pleased to announce that Amy is now the General Manager for the Marseilles Division. Her responsibilities have grown exponentially and we couldn’t be prouder to highlight her rise to success. Congratulations Amy on your new role!
Corey Swords is currently the Safety Supervisor in our New Boston, OH facility.Corey began his career with Infra-Metals in 2013 as a first shift crane operator. Since New Boston was a brand new facility there were plenty of opportunities to grow. Working previously at a steel fabrication facility, Corey was familiar with how things worked with steel. His shipping and logistics experience helped him to understand the production side of the business.
Career Growth at Infra-Metals
Starting with a 3 month training program working with veterans in the Wallingford, CT facility, afforded him the knowledge necessary to successfully operate machinery in the new service center opening in New Boston, OH. He was excited to work for a “brand new company that he could grow with.” Corey quickly learned how to operate the band saws and spent several months working in processing. Soon after he began working as a loader for the remainder of the year. In 2015 and over the next three years, Corey moved between several shift supervisor positions, ultimately becoming the 1st Shift Warehouse Supervisor.
Personal growth and working with a quality team are what Corey values when showing up everyday. “Putting the right people in the right positions to utilize everyone’s strengths and maximize output is a recipe for success.”
Current Day-To-Day
Corey enjoys coordinating with the team in New Boston. “It is very dynamic and every day is different.”
Our services centers work towards monthly goals and it takes every department working together to achieve it. Corey says his environment really makes him feel that he is part of a team and a greater purpose. We are always working to find the most efficient way to deliver our products and services to our customers. That’s the Infra Way. Thank you Corey for all your efforts! Now go get out there and swing those clubs!
John Perez is the Maintenance Supervisor for the Tampa, FL division. He has been with Infra-Metals since September of 2008. During his time there, John has held several positions which has led him on a diverse journey with the company. When John arrived at Infra-Metals he was starting in a new industry and proved his ability to adapt and grow with the company.
Career Growth at Infra-Metals
John had moved from Puerto Rico to California where he began life in the States. At the time John had been working in a hospital as a Dispatcher when his company had transferred him to another Florida hospital. John was introduced to Infra-Metals through a family member and current employee in July of 2008. At that time John was brought on as a temporary worker in the Tampa warehouse. After several months John was offered the position of Crane Operator in September of 2008. John quickly moved into other positions within operations such as Loader and then CNC Operator.
Eventually the position of 3rd Shift Supervisor became available and John decided to apply for the job. He had held that position for the next 5 years and demonstrated strong leadership qualities to both his team and the warehouse’s operations management. In 2019 he was able to apply for the position of warehouse Maintenance Supervisor. Because of John’s strong operations background and diverse skillset he is able to lend his expertise to his current role very effectively. John holds certifications as a Forklift Operator, Man-lift Operator, Dispatcher, CPR First Responder and Trainer. John also holds a CDL-A and is a trained programmer.
“If you want to grow, show initiative. Don’t wait for someone to tell you what to do. When you do something, do it better than what they expected you to do. Go above and beyond. And never be afraid to ask questions.”
A Funny Story
“It was my first day as a temp on the job. The Operations Manager came up to me and stepped on my boot to check and see if I had steel toe boots on. I thought to myself, did he just step on my brand new, steel toe boots? At first, I thought, I’m not going to like it here, but instead, I really did! And well, my Operations Manager saw something in me that I at the time didn’t see in myself. He was instrumental in my growth.”
Current Day-To-Day
In John’s current role he enjoys teaching others how to work safer and smarter. Since he is cross trained, he can jump in when we are short- handed and load trucks, drive the forklift, do programming, burn material or unload trucks. He maintains our equipment as well as the facility. When asked: What do you enjoy about your current role? John responds: “Everything in my position now; I get dirty; I fix equipment and when I’m needed somewhere else in the facility, I can jump in and help. No one day is ever the same. This job keeps me on my toes. It constantly provides challenges and allows me to use my knowledge along with my skills to trouble shoot.”
Jimmy Carter is currently the Sales Manager at Infra-Metals in Atlanta, GA. Jimmy’s career in steel has spanned over 3 decades. Needless to say he’s seen some things. His career began 36 years ago when he and his wife made the bold move to leave his hometown of Louisville, KY and start from scratch in Atlanta, GA. Having family ties back to the steel industry helped him choose his path once he arrived. Jimmy contacted every fabricator listed in the yellow pages to understand who their suppliers were and so he made his way to Georgia Steel and Supply Co. The makings of sales person were evident.
Career Growth at Infra-Metals
In 1984, Jimmy began working at GA Steel and Supply Co. as a Third Shift Loader and Operator. His strong work ethic earned him Shift Supervisor after only 6 months. The following year he was promoted again to Dayshift Supervisor and Machine operator. By 1987 he had found himself working as the Sales Representative for the then Will Call business. Jimmy spent the year learning the sales side of the steel business and sought out an opportunity that would set in motion the later part of his career. After approaching management and requesting a meeting with the owner, Jimmy earned his place at the sales desk where he earned the title of Top Salesperson from 1988-89. Jimmy spent the next five years in Inside Sales when eventually he moved to Outside Sales.
Current Day-to-Day as Sales Manager
Jimmy has seen the acquisition of GA Steel & Supply as well as IMS GA Steel to Reliance Steel & Aluminum Co. over the course of his career. He enjoys challenging his team and bringing out the best in every one of them. Strategizing with his team first thing in the morning to working closely with customers to ensure they get the service that makes Infra-Metals so successful.
TJ Ellis, Operations Manager for Infra-Metals New Boston, began working as a Maintenance Supervisor at our company in 2014.
Career Growth at Infra-Metals
TJ, like many employees at Infra-Metals, has held several roles throughout his time with us. The New Boston facility was recently opened and was in need of bringing several CNC machines online for production. This became TJ’s number one priority. Several months in he was approached to take over the burn department to manage tooling, scheduling, and operational procedures. With the successful implementation in New Boston, TJ had the opportunity to lend his experience to our Tampa, FL location where he reduced our processing backlogs and shortened lead times.
TJ notes that his transition between previous and current roles has been very seamless given the fact that he worked with many seasoned mentors within the organization. Working in our current team environment enables people to continuously drive, improve and curate new ideas all while making our warehouse safer and more productive for everyone.
Current Day-to-Day of Operations Manager
In his current role as Operations Manager, TJ strives to build a team dedicated to safety and drive the concept of continuous improvement while exceeding our customer’s expectations. He enjoys setting goals and reaching them. TJ has been part of a greater initiative to create a safer work environment. His role has allowed him to work on programs that facilitate employees reaching their personal and professional potential.
Looking to the future, TJ strives to move up and contribute at different levels of the organization.
“The key to success is to focus on the goals, and not the obstacles.”
Ryan Nelle is currently the Traffic Manager at Infra-Metals in Marseilles, IL. Ryan’s journey with Infra-Metals began as a CDL A Driver and now he is a Traffic Manager. Here is a little about his story with us.
Ryan is a self-taught CDL driver that took the initiative to study the Illinois CDL study guide on his own. He had experience driving semis helping farmers but not flatbed trailers. He applied with Infra-Metals Marseilles and was offered a Class A CDL job on a Friday. He took the CDL test on Saturday and began his employment as a Class A CDL driver in 2009 after passing his test with the Department of Motor Vehicles.
He began his training with experienced flatbed drivers with our company hauling steel beams. Our experience drivers taught Ryan the importance of safety, the business, and our customers. He was in training for about 3 months before he started driving on his own. Ryan continued to drive a flatbed and after gaining experience, became a trainer for new drivers starting with our company. He likes to see the experienced employees help the new.
Career Growth at Infra-Metals
After a few years of driving for Infra-Metals, an office position for the traffic department became available; Traffic Coordinator. Ryan applied for this position. His great attitude, knowledge and experience being a driver for our company was a great fit and he was selected. His new role as a Traffic Coordinator involved helping schedule drivers with their loads and routes to customers. As a Traffic Coordinator he worked all shifts and saw how each shift had different experiences and responsibilities. While working as a Traffic Coordinator Ryan saw that the warehouse needed help, at times, moving the flatbed trailers within company property. He suggested his help and trained to help drive a Spotter Truck. When the warehouse needed help, Ryan went out to move trailers to help the team.
Current Day-to-Day as Traffic Manager
In 2018 there was another climb for Ryan into the new role of Traffic Manager. As a Traffic Manger he is responsible for company drivers, traffic coordinators, outside carriers, and the fleet. He has an intricate part in coordinating with warehouse, sales & customers to schedule sale orders for delivery & receiving for our company. He not only helps his department but goes out to the warehouse to help explain why and how loads need to be loaded a certain way. He jumps in to help anyone at Infra-Metals without being asked.
Ryan enjoys keeping busy and likes to see the steel go out. He enjoys the changes that his new role has brought. He wants to learn, grow, and become more versatile as be climbs within the company. He believes everyone’s goals should be to get to the next level and/or take the next step.
Robert Jamison has worked at Infra-Metals for 21 years and started out as a Crane Operator. Over his long career with us he has held numerous positions including Saw Operator, Assistant Shift Supervisor and finally Processing Manager and Safety Coordinator.
When he started with Infra-Metals he worked at the Maryland location and now he is living in Virginia, working at the Petersburg, Virginia warehouse.
In the beginning of my career, training was rushed and only the basics were taught to get associates up to speed and working daily, on their own. As the years have passed, training has become a top priority for Infra-Metals. This is the at the forefront of the overall changes, increased safety, and training! Creating a better safety culture remains the primary focus of the Infra leadership teams.
Current Day-to-Day as Processing Manager
My role as the Processing Manager is to schedule all of the processing orders to all of the equipment and the Safety Coordinator aspect of the position requires training all of the team members on all safety procedures of our company to ensure that everyone remains safe.
What I like the most about processing is the challenge of trying to get as much of the work done as I can out of each machine each day. I also like the safety aspect of the job; it is a new responsibility and I enjoy learning new things. Both parts of my role allow me to interact with the team members and since recently moving to Virginia it has help me to meet the rest of the team and build relationships.
The greatest change I have seen in the company over the last 21 years is the safety focus and safety culture and how the company cares about the employees first!
My future goal is to learn everything that I can possibly learn to move up within the company as far as I can in the company. If I had to pick a pick a position, I would say I would aspire to be the Operations Manager.
PJ Rase, General Manager for Infra-Metals New Boston, began working as a Sales Representative at our company in 2013. PJ earned two degrees, a Bachelor degree in Accounting and a Bachelor degree in Business Management from the University of Rio Grande, Rio Grande, Ohio.
Career Growth at Infra-Metals
Rase, has held several roles throughout his time with Infra-Metals. PJ brought his previous retail sales experience and applied to this new career opportunity. He started with Infra-Metals by working in the sales department as one the first sales representatives trained before the New Boston, OH facility went live. He learned through his travels to and from the Wallingford, CT facility how the steel business worked and where Infra-Metals participated. At that he was mentored and worked very closely with the then general manager of the new Ohio facility, Oak Williams.
PJ quickly embraced the new company culture and earned his way to the Sales Manager position. His new responsibilities included nurturing and motivating a staff of six sales personnel. When asked what he likes about working for Infra-Metals his response was: “Exciting. Fun. Never Monotonous. I work with all types of people.”
In 2018 PJ moved into the role of General Manager for New Boston, OH.
Current Day-to-Day of General Manager
In his current role as General Manager, PJ oversees the New Boston, OH facility and all its employees.
“I am offered the opportunity to have an impact on the lives of the people I work with every day and can see myself retiring from this place. It’s a great company to work for.”
Starting from the ground up, the New Boston location has enjoyed watching it’s employees grow personally and professionally. PJ has witnessed this location grow and become successful due to the hard work and dedication of a lot of people.
“There are many stories like mine throughout the organization and that is special to have an employer that takes an interest in your personal success.”
Updated 6/1/2022 – At the time of this story, PJ was the General Manager of the Ohio facility and as of the beginning of June 2022 he will oversee the Atlanta, GA location. Congratulations on your continued success PJ!
Meredith Whitties, Traffic Manager for Infra-Metals Petersburg, began his career with us in 2003 as a CDL Truck Driver. Meredith’s hands-on experience as a driver provided him with the knowledge necessary to be successful in his current role.
Career Growth at Infra-Metals
Meredith’s 17-year journey at Infra-Metals has been one of hard work and dedication. In 2011 he was promoted to the Assistant Traffic Manager, primarily performing many administrative task to support the Traffic Manager. Meredith demonstrated himself as a self-motivated and very observant employee, which eventually lead to his promotion in 2018 to the Traffic Manager.
“I enjoy interacting with the drivers on a daily basis because it shows them what is achievable with a career at Infra-Metals”.
Meredith’s promotions illustrate the journey many have taken within the company. The company leadership acknowledge and reward hard work and dedication through achievement letters and awards. Meredith reflects on these awards with a sense of pride and accomplishment.
Current Day-to-Day of Traffic Manager
Infra has grown over the years and with the leadership in place, it will continue to do so. The traffic department is one of our most dynamic areas of the business. Everything that occurs flows through there and in many ways, is the pulse of operation. Meredith and his team are responsible for managing inbound and outbound traffic. Building loads and scheduling deliveries are their primary responsibilities as well as managing the fleet of tractor trailers and drivers.
Meredith will continue to deliver excellence by looking to the future through continuing education. “I aspire to further educate myself on the ever-changing technology in the industry.”
Alex Wamsley is currently a Sale Representative in our New Boston, OH facility. He has been with Infra-Metals since November of 2014. Alex found Infra-Metals through word of mouth while working for a funeral services company. Alex jokes that he was looking for a more “lively” work experience. When he came to us he didn’t have any prior work experience in steel or distribution. Alex accepted a position as Crane Operator, in what was then a relatively new service center to Infra-Metals. Training was conducted through hands on experience with peers and he excelled at his job. He was happy slinging the chains for a little over a year when a warehouse supervisor position became available.
TJ Ellis, Operations Manager for Infra-Metals New Boston, began working as a Maintenance Supervisor at our company in 2014.
Ryan Nelle is currently the Traffic Manager at Infra-Metals in Marseilles, IL. Ryan’s journey with Infra-Metals began as a CDL A Driver and now he is a Traffic Manager. Here is a little about his story with us.
Robert Jamison has worked at Infra-Metals for 21 years and started out as a Crane Operator. Over his long career with us he has held numerous positions including Saw Operator, Assistant Shift Supervisor and finally Processing Manager and Safety Coordinator.
PJ Rase, General Manager for Infra-Metals New Boston, began working as a Sales Representative at our company in 2013. PJ earned two degrees, a Bachelor degree in Accounting and a Bachelor degree in Business Management from the University of Rio Grande, Rio Grande, Ohio.
Meredith Whitties, Traffic Manager for Infra-Metals Petersburg, began his career with us in 2003 as a CDL Truck Driver. Meredith’s hands-on experience as a driver provided him with the knowledge necessary to be successful in his current role.