Nancy Tompkins
Operations Support Associate, Bettendorf, IA
Knows her way around the plant floor. Thrives on customer kudos. Believes in the power of feeling welcome.
You know those people who welcome everyone with open arms? The type who are always willing to lend a hand and have a knack for putting people at ease? That’s Nancy Tompkins.
Nancy began her career with Olympic Steel’s Bettendorf, IA division in 2006 as a Coil Bay Crane Operator. From there she moved to the C-Bay Floor position that involved helping the Crane Operator with safe placement and movement of coils in the area. Nancy learned everything she could about the movement of material in the shop and even became a certified fork truck operator and trainer. Today, she utilizes those skills and her extensive knowledge of the plant floor in her current position, Operations Support Associate.
Wherever help is needed on the shop floor, Nancy is on it! She’s a licensed fork truck driver, can operate a crane, receives material into the system and can fill in for almost every position in the shop.
Nancy enjoys being directly involved in the processes that supply material to our customers. “When I hear that a customer sent us words of thanks for good, quality work, I’m proud to have had a hand in that,” she says.
Tracy DeLathouwer, Bettendorf, IA Safety and Training Manager, says, “Nancy will do whatever it takes to get the product to the customer. She’s focused on doing her job safely – working with the team and using the tools available to get the job done.”
While Nancy’s passionate about her job, it’s being with her coworkers that makes her happy to come to work each day. She explains, “They are my family. We support each other, so we are better able to get the job done right – every time – for our customers.”
She takes every opportunity to help her coworkers, the Company and the community. Nancy supports the Corporate Citizenship efforts at the division, provides a company overview to visitors and even assists with new hire onboarding. She’s also known for providing a pop to new employees on their first day!
After more than a decade, Nancy has encountered challenges and has a lot of experience to draw from to tackle those challenges. Her advice to others is to “ask a lot of questions, face the challenge head on and make sure everyone involved has the tools they need to do their job.” She passes on this advice to anyone looking to build a successful career with the Company and adds: “Learn as much as you can about the Company, our products, our processes and how we all fit together.”
And, that’s the key. Nancy knows there is no “I” in team. Helping us all fit together and support one another is how we’ll succeed.
