September 18, 2019
Colleague Focus – Meet Phillip Lewis
In this edition of Colleague Focus, we’re introducing you to Phillip Lewis, the Maintenance Manager for our Dublin, Virginia facility. Phillip has been with Mar-Bal nearly 7 years and will be approaching his work anniversary on October 1st.
Reflecting on his Mar-Bal career to this point, Phillip speaks on his favorite part which is witnessing the Virginia plant’s growth in addition to the expansion of Mar-Bal as a whole. “It has been amazing to watch the growth of the Virginia plant as well as the entire company over the last 7 years. We have gotten so much better at what we do and how we do it. I am so proud to have been able to play a small part in that growth”. He goes on to talk about how Mar-Bal has helped with his career development by saying, “I feel Mar-Bal has helped me be a better manager in my approaches to people and problem solving. There is such a diversity of people and opportunities available at Mar-Bal you can’t help but grow both professionally and personally”.
Although Phillip downplays his role in the prosperity of our Dublin facility, he was heavily involved in a large project involving one of our presses which also happens to be his proudest moment. “The rebuild and installation of the 400 ton Erie press (3041) a few years ago.This is the first rebuild we managed totally from the Virginia plant. The result was phenomenal and to date is still the best press, that size, we have, in dependability and utilization. I am also very proud of the Virginia maintenance team and the growth we make with each rebuild/installation (2 additional presses installed in 2019)”.
Phillip is a family man and enjoys vacationing at the beach with his wife of 28 years Melissa, and their 3 sons – Zachary, Tanner and Levi, joking that he is determined to find a Megalodon tooth on one of their trips despite the fact that he has yet to come across one. As a father, Phillip is now better able to appreciate his parents and their roles in his life, “There have been many mentors in my life that have helped make me who I am and I’m grateful for them all. But as I watched my youngest son leave for college this year, I would have to say I look up to my parents the most. I now understand the sacrifices they made, to make sure I was “raised right” and prepared to face the challenges of life”.
Thank you Phillip for arriving each day looking to contribute and continually being a vital member of the team at our Virginia facility. We look forward to watching you grow in your career while we strive to grow as a company.