Rodney Whidby
Operations Manager, Olympic Steel, Winder, GA
First Winder employee. Goal-oriented leader and team player. Believes listening-to-understand is the key to success.
Thirty-five years ago, Rodney Whidby started his metals industry career in the same building he's working in today. Not only did he help construct the building, but he also helped install the original equipment and, as the first employee hired for Southeastern Metal Processing (SMP), he unloaded the first coils into the shop! So, when Rodney says he's been here from the start, he means it in every sense of the word.
From his first day on the job, Rodney knew he wanted to be the Operations Manager. He worked hard, learning literally every job in the plant, earned a promotion to Production Supervisor and then General Foreman. In 2011, after learning as much as he could from a variety of teachers, Rodney reached his goal and accepted a position as the Operations Manager.
“As I moved through other positions, I always had my eyes on the ultimate goal,” he explains. “I took the best from all the people who taught me and applied what I learned to everything I do. I use those lessons to help me get better every day, and I’m extremely proud of reaching my goal.”
Early in his career with Olympic Steel, Rodney attended Olympic Steel University (OSU), a leadership training program. He credits that program as being essential to his career development. “OSU taught me the history of Olympic Steel and explained how we got to where we are today,” he says. “I also learned [at OSU] how important it is to build professional relationships with the right people. Ray Walker [Olympic Steel’s former President and Chief Operating Officer – now retired] taught an immediately applicable lesson about our processes that I still reference today. The Leadership Team shared their expertise and were available to answer questions and give advice. Having that kind of access to company leadership is invaluable.”
Rodney understands that as part of the local leadership team he passes along lessons from his mentors by sharing his expertise and advice with the people he works with every day. He says, “My goal is to simplify things for my team by removing obstacles and making it clear that we’re all in this together.”
“Rodney is a role model for our team in the plant and in the office on how to be an Olympian,” says Jamie Esway, General Manager. “He has made a career here, but also a home. He works hard to keep our teams motivated, our costs and projects in line, and drives our success.”
And, according to Rodney, driving that success begins with listening. His advice for building a great career with Olympic Steel - “You need to listen AND understand. Ask questions, partner with someone who’s a good teacher, take notes and refer to them until what you do is eventually second nature.”
