Roberto Torres has been working at Ledwell for the past 23 years. He works in the Truck Shop assembling rollbacks, water trucks and dump trucks. His favorite part of the job is that he doesn’t do the same thing every day and works on a wide variety of projects.
“Roberto is a true craftsman. He is very detailed in his work and cares about his product.” – Mike Thomas, Truck Shop Foreman
This past April was the 20th year anniversary mark for Chris Kuepker, also known as “Special K”. Chris became a Ledwell employee in 1992 and has been a huge asset to the Feed Body shop ever since.
Over the years Chris has had the opportunity to work with many different people and go home with some funny, if not slightly scary, stories. Chris’ favorite part of his job is “working on new trailers and figuring out a new and better way to build them.” Innovation and constant improvement are how Ledwell continues to excel in the manufacturing business. He says his least favorite part is “working on repairs.” He is a hard working employee and gets along with everyone in the shop.
Chris is married with two children, two grandchildren, and two step-grandchildren. He is also a foster parent. In his free time, Chris likes going to watch baseball and softball games and when he can, he gets even closer to the action as an umpire. He also enjoys doing is fixing up old cars – a hobby that compliments his day job.
“Chris, to me and other employees, is our shop engineer. He is a very dependant worker and has exceeding knowledge in all parts of the Feed Body Shop. Chris is also willing to help people here at the plant and in the outside world.” – Mike Harris, Feed Body Foreman
Kenny Whitecotton has worked as a welder in the Feedbody Shop since he came to Ledwell twelve years ago. He started working for Ledwell right out of school and gained all of his training onsite.
He really takes pride in his work and loves seeing sheets of metals, parts and pieces transformed into a finished product. He favors working on dump beds and feed bodies but “really likes it all”. Kenny enjoys working with the group of guys in his shop and has been working with most of them since he started. He also gets to work with his brother every day which he sees as a plus.
In his free time, Kenny loves to spend time outdoors hunting and fishing. He has been married to his wife, Mindy, for four years and has one daughter, Morgan.
Whitecotton’s supervisor, Feedbody Shop Foreman Mike Harris, says, “Kenny is very dependable. You can give him any job, and he takes care of business – you don’t have to worry about him doing it and doing it right. He is truly great at his job.”
Brandon O’Neal currently works in the Tank Shop, but in the 6 years he has been at Ledwell, he has worked in every shop on property. Although he enjoyed the variety of working in different areas, the Tank Shop is his favorite. He enjoys the challenges that come with working on water tanks. He considers the current project he is working on to be the most challenging because it’s highly customized.
Prior to Ledwell, Brandon worked for 5 years in the restaurant industry. When his restaurant closed, he came to work for a company that had provided for his family in the past. Aubrey O’Neal, Brandon’s grandfather, had worked in the Pump Room for 32 years. Brandon fondly remembers visiting the Ledwell shop with his grandfather and hearing stories about his work. It was Aubrey who first taught him how to weld.
Brandon loves his job and sees himself working at Ledwell for at least 32 years like his grandfather. Brad Stringer, Brandon’s foreman, speaks very highly of him. “There is a lot you can say about Brandon as far as being an employee. He is a very hard worker, very dependable, and takes pride in his work. I don’t know of any job that I have asked him to do that he hasn’t jumped right in and gotten it done. He is an asset to the company.”
He grew up moving around Northeast Texas, living in a few small towns around Sulphur Springs and Dallas. In 1999, he moved to Fouke, Arkansas and has been there since. When not working, Brandon enjoys coaching his stepson’s baseball team and playing paintball. In December 2010, Brandon opened his own paintball park, Paintball Junkies, which he currently owns and operates.
