What department do you work in?
Accounts Payable since March 13, 2017. Before then, I was a Buyer in Purchasing for the last 13 years.

What’s your current position/title?
Accounts Payable

Where did you go to school?
High School – Satsuma Graduate 1978
Associate Degree from Faulkner University

How long have you been with G.A. West?
13 years

How has the company changed since you’ve been here?
This company has grown since I came on board. New clients, lots of new people as departments had to expand to keep up with demand.

Describe your job in 25 words or less.
Challenging is an understatement. But staying focused and knowing a job well done benefits all of us.

Tell us what a normal day at G.A. West look like for you.
A normal day is focused on the vendor accounts that I am responsible for getting and keeping their account(s) current. Communications with internal and external customers is key to achieve this task.

Before working at G.A. West, what was the most unusual/interesting job you’ve had?
I think working at Sears in Bel Air Mall. I actually stopped a theft. I witnessed someone trying to steal a carousel of watches from the Jewelry Department. I told him to put them back and he did. Then he ran out with some jeans but not the watches. Total amount recovered, close to $ 5,000.00.

What is the one accomplishment or project at G.A. West that you are most proud of?
The Spotlight nomination. I am honored that I am being thought of and I truly appreciate it very much.

What do you enjoy most about working at G.A. West?
Knowing that what I do makes a difference.

What are three career lessons you’ve learned thus far? (here or elsewhere)
1. That everyone is human and will make mistakes.
2. Think things through to make the best decisions.
3. Just when you think you’re ahead of the game, expect the foul ball.

What is the best advice you have ever been given?
Take are of number one! These are wise words from my Dad.

What is the worst advice you have ever been given?
That hot sauce is not really hot.

What 3 words would you use to describe G.A. West?
Work in Progress.

What’s playing in your car right now?
Metallica’s Unforgiven

What is the one thing you cannot do without?
The Lord Jesus Christ

If you could meet anyone in the world, dead or alive, who would it be and why?
John Wayne. Because he reminds me of my dad.

If you had to eat one meal every day for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Thin crust pepperoni pizza and a large glass of sweet tea.

Tell us about your family & activities outside of work.
My mom and dad are away to heaven as well as two brothers.
One brother, Tommy and one sister, Cheryl, are still alive.
My husband Don and I were married on Ground Hog’s Day, 02/02/02 at 2 p.m.
He loves to sing and wants to audition for America’s Got Talent this next season.
I have two sons. Nick is married to Stephanie and they have three boys ages 6, 5 and 4.
Nick also has a daughter age 17. Jeremy is 26 and not married yet. Both are employed at Chevron in Pascagoula, MS.

What is your favorite movie of all time? Favorite song?
Movie – Last of the Mohicans
Song – Comfortably Numb by Pink Floyd

What TV show/movie are you ashamed to admit you love?
All of the Jane Austen made for movie books –All of them…

If you could take a vacation anywhere, where would you go?
Any beach in the USA.

If someone were to write a book about your life, what would be the title?
‘ All She Ever Wanted – Lost Childhood Memories’

If Hollywood made a movie about your life, who would you like to see cast as you?
Jane Seymour

People would be surprised if they knew:
I wanted to be a fighter pilot when I was in High School.

Mickey Busby has been with G.A. West from nearly the company’s conception. Busby, the company’s most seniored hourly employee, sits down to talk about his nearly 30-year tenure with G.A. West. 

How has the company changed since you’ve been here?
We kinda took the Ronald Reagan approach. Gary [West] hired as many good people as he could to take care of all the areas of the company, people he trusted to run the company with him. He looks for people to be faithful and keep the ball of momentum rolling. We’ve changed by growing people into those positions and they’ve ended up extraordinary. Like the old saying goes: it doesn’t matter how you start; it’s how you wind up.

What do you enjoy most about working at G.A. West?
We’re G.A. West AND Company – that “company” means a lot to me. It’s like G.A. West AND Family. You spend so much time with them they feel like family. When you work with someone 6 – 7 days a week, you learn things about them and they become part of your family. I know some people here who would drop everything and help you out. Loyalty and faithfulness. These people are loyal and faithful and you can depend on them day after day.

Describe the favorite part of your job.
I like where the Safety Department is going now. We’re building relationships with our employees. We relate to them. When talking to them about safety, I don’t say “hey look, don’t do that because you may get killed” or “I’ll fire you if you do that.” I say something like “Look, you have kids. Do you want your kid going to work for someone who is going to get them killed or do you want your kid to work with someone who is going to do the job right, take care of your child, make them perform the job safely, wear the proper PPE and keep them safe?” When you do things right, you do things the safe way.

What are three career lessons you’ve learned thus far? (here or elsewhere)
1) There’s no easy position; every position takes work.
2) You should always work hard at what you do and as smart as you can to the very best that you can.
3) The best thing to do is to take what you know and apply it the best you can to your job.

What is the best advice you have ever been given?
Every individual is a person and should be treated as such – a person. Our employees are valuable to us and we should always show our appreciation of them.

What has kept you with G.A. West for nearly three decades?
I think I’ve stayed because of Gary West. Being the person he is, I know that no matter what, he’s going to strive to keep us going. You can see that Gary has a heart for doing this. He’s not the kind that will throw his hands up and quit. He’s going to stay in there and grind day after day until things get better. You know you can count on him and when you can count on somebody, you want to stay with them.

What department do you work in?
Electrical & Instrumentation

What’s your current position/title?
Lead Electrical Estimator

Where did you go to school?
CF Vigor, Mobile County Trade School, Bishop State

How long have you been with G.A. West?
December will be 14 years.

How has the company changed since you’ve been here?
Technology has changed and along with that so does our line of work. There are numerous examples of this from time-keeping to scheduling but the one that sticks out to me is estimating. Timberline is something I was not open to learning at first honestly, but looking at it today I am glad I did. Having everyone who estimates on the same program is surely a plus in my opinion.

Tell us about your job at G.A. West. 
It’s a challenge. It can be rewarding as well. But there is a lot more than just estimating that goes on. I am involved in schedules, cost control, billing, invoices, T & M work, RFI’s, change orders, and client relations. You have to wear multiple hats and be self-motivated to have a chance to be successful.

Tell us what a normal day at G.A. West look like for you.
A normal day for me can get pretty busy, which I like. Almost every day I am pricing something, whether it is for a project we are currently working on or a project we are bidding. But I like to have a schedule of what needs to be done, that way I stay on track.

Before working at G.A. West, what was the most unusual/interesting job you’ve had?
At a young age I went to work for my dad. It wasn’t always easy working with family. My 4 older brothers all work there and although most of my memories there are good ones, I learned very soon into it that it wasn’t for me. I think the decision I made to leave was the right one.

What is the one accomplishment or project at G.A. West that you are most proud of?
Probably the first project I estimated that we received a PO for. I still remember it vividly. I was anxious to see what the outcome would be once complete. It was gratifying to know that everything went great and actually done a couple more projects similar to that one. That was in the summer of 2006.

What do you enjoy most about working at G.A. West?
Just being part of a growing company can be challenging and fun at the same time. Working with multiple disciplines within the same company can help teach me things that I otherwise never would have known. That part will only get better as I get older.

What are three career lessons you’ve learned thus far?
Man I have so many. 1. Read, read, read, and read again if need be. 2. Try to eliminate assumptions. 3. Don’t be afraid to ask questions.

What is the best advice you have ever been given?
Well, over the years I have worked around a lot of great smart people and learned a lot along the way. But the one that stands out to me the most is simple. “Think before you speak”. We’ve all heard that before but doing it is something different.

What is the worst advice you have ever been given?
Not sure that I can recall any bad advice right off hand. I typically make my own mind up before I do something if I am responsible for it.

What 3 words would you use to describe G.A. West?
Driven. Growing. Dedicated.

What’s playing in your car right now?
Jamey Johnson was playing this morning when I pulled up.

What is the one thing you cannot do without?
Oxygen! And for that I am thankful.

If you could meet anyone in the world, dead or alive, who would it be and why?
Robert E. Lee. I enjoy civil war history and I would like to ask him what he was thinking at Gettysburg the summer of 1863.

If you had to eat one meal every day for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Gumbo. So many different items in Gumbo. You could live a long time on that.

Tell us about your family & activities outside of work.
I have been married for 11 years, and I have 3 kids that I am crazy about. Clare 7, Catherine 5, and Bart II 19 months. My activities consist of coaching Tee-ball, bass fishing, and Auburn Football. I also enjoy working out and I play in an adult wiffle ball league. I am only inside if it’s raining, I’m sleeping, or eating.

What is your favorite movie of all time? Favorite song?
Movie- Saving Private Ryan, Tommy Boy, Song- John Mellencamp Jack & Diane, or Bon Jovi Living on a prayer.

What TV show/movie are you ashamed to admit you love?
Family Feud. Steve Harvey is a trip.

If you could take a vacation anywhere, where would you go?
Somewhere like Rome, Sicily, or ancient Egypt. Maybe Normandy France and follow the same trail as General Patton and 3rd army in WW2.

If someone were to write a book about your life, what would be the title?
“The kali oka kid” That’s the name of the road where I grew up. Still live there actually.

If Hollywood made a movie about your life, who would you like to see cast as you?
Jean -Claude Van Damme.

People would be surprised if they knew:
I am a pretty good artist.

What department do you work in?
Quality Control

What’s your current position/title?
Quality Assurance/Quality Control Manager

Where did you go to school?
George County

How long have you been with G.A. West?
6 years

How has the company changed since you’ve been here?
It has continuously grown, and at the same time communication between departments has greatly improved.

Describe your job in 25 words or less.
I maintain the Company’s Quality Program, and manage the QCs that take care of inspections and documentation on jobsites.

Tell us what a normal day at G.A. West look like for you.
Working with other dept. managers to try to make sure project quality requirements are met. I spend a lot of time reading client specifications and code standards.

Before working at G.A. West, what was the most unusual/interesting job you’ve had?
I Repossessed furniture for Discount Rental while in High School.

What is the one accomplishment or project at G.A. West that you are most proud of?
The growth and acceptance of the quality program.

What do you enjoy most about working at G.A. West?
The diversity of the projects, there is always something to learn.

What are three career lessons you’ve learned thus far?
Take pride in what you do, respect other people, and maintain your integrity at all cost.

What is the best advice you have ever been given?
Believe half of what you see and nothing you hear.

What is the worst advice you have ever been given?
Just Quit.

What 3 words would you use to describe G.A. West?
Dependable. Challenging. Growing.

What’s playing in your car right now?
Jocko Willink Podcast.

What is the one thing you cannot do without?
Family

If you could meet anyone in the world, dead or alive, who would it be and why?
Donald Trump, to see what he is like when the cameras are off.

If you had to eat one meal every day for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Steak and Potatoes.

Tell us about your family & activities outside of work.
I’m married with two daughters and have one grandson. I enjoy anything outdoors.

What is your favorite movie of all time? Favorite song?
Gladiator, Consider the Lilies

What TV show/movie are you ashamed to admit you love?
Dawson’s Creek

If you could take a vacation anywhere, where would you go?
Paris

If someone were to write a book about your life, what would be the title?
The Chronicles of Glen.

If Hollywood made a movie about your life, who would you like to see cast as you?
Ricky Schroder

People would be surprised if they knew:
I’m not as cool as I appear.

How long have you been with G.A. West?
I’ve been with G.A. West since November 2016.

What’s your position?
I’m a general laborer.

Where are you from? Where did you go to school?
I’m from Mount Vernon. I graduated from Citronelle High School in 2004.

What do you do here at G.A. west?
I lay pipe, hook up pumps and really, I go where they need me. I like to be useful so I lend a hand where I can. There’s little downtime and you stay busy.

Why did you choose to work at G.A. West?
I was told it was a great company to work for. It was highly recommended to me.

What do you like about G.A. West?
I love G.A. West. I truly appreciate them for giving me the opportunity to show what I’m capable of and allow me to work every day. I’m grateful to have a job. As long as there is an opportunity, I see myself working here. I love it.

If you could change something about the company, what would it be?
We all communicate pretty good. As far as our daily work activity, there’s really not much to change or anything. Anything we need to know, we know who to ask.

What’s playing in your car right now?
Country Music.

What are your hobbies?
Outside of work I like to do the typical country stuff like fishing, hunting and playing softball.

What department do you work in?
Personnel

What’s your current position/title?
Operation Manager

Where did you go to school?
I graduated from Troy University, Troy, AL.

How long have you been with G.A. West?
I started at G.A. West on October 28, 2002. I’ve been here 14.5 years.

How has the company changed since you’ve been here?
We have grown from approximately 250 employees to approximately 900 presently, and have modernized in most areas. Change is hard but the company has always sought to be on the cutting edge and I think we are going in the right direction.

Describe your job in 25 words or less.
I love this job, it is rewarding, demanding, interesting, stressful and enjoyable. I love putting people to work.

Tell us what a normal day at G.A. West look like for you.
I typically arrive between 6 and 6:30 a.m. After that nothing is normal in the Personnel Department. We do have a process for contacting people for hiring and testing, but after that it is reacting to any needs which may arise during the day. These could vary from manpower needs to handling complaints from employees. In short, every day is different.

Before working at G.A. West, what was the most unusual/interesting job you’ve had?
I worked for 30 years with Union Carbide/UOP. I worked in the Procurement Department and for several years I was part of a negotiating team where we traveled all over the United States. One of these trips was to Louisville, Kentucky during Derby Week and the guy we were negotiating with had a box of 30 seats on the finish line for the Kentucky Derby. He knew I was a big fan of horse racing so he invited me to stay over and go to the Derby with him.

What is the one accomplishment or project at G.A. West that you are most proud of?
We have implemented a software system for the personnel group which will give us so many options in dealing with the recruiting, testing and hiring process. It will also help us go paperless. I am really proud of this. It’s been a total group effort and I am proud of the work each team member has poured into this project.

What do you enjoy most about working at G.A. West?
I have always been a people person so I enjoy working and interacting with people and that is what this job is all about. Sometimes it’s good and sometime it’s bad but that is how it is and I enjoy it.

What are three career lessons you’ve learned thus far? (here or elsewhere)
1. Always tell the truth.
2. Always work hard and smart.
3. Never quit before the job is complete.

What is the best advice you have ever been given?
My mom and dad taught me to be faithful to God, my family and my job, in that order. I have found through the years this was very good advice.

What is the worst advice you have ever been given?
I am sure I have been given some bad advice, but I don’t remember what it was, which is good.

What 3 words would you use to describe G.A. West?
Growing, changing, progressing.

What’s playing in your car right now?
Nothing.

What is the one thing you cannot do without?
My wife.

If you could meet anyone in the world, dead or alive, who would it be and why?
Robert Browning. He was a great poet and if I ever die, what is considered his greatest work will be read at my funeral.

If you had to eat one meal every day for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Prime rib and a baked sweet potato.

Tell us about your family & activities outside of work.
My family includes my wife Bonnie, my son Mark and his wife Brandi, my daughter Brooke and her husband Brad, and three grandchildren, Gracie, Brynlee, and Jaxson. They take up most of my time. Bonnie and I have season tickets to Alabama girls’ softball so we attend a lot of softball games. I also enjoy gardening, reading and spending time with my 94-year-old mom.

What is your favorite movie of all time? Favorite song?
The Ultimate Gift. This is also a book and should be required reading for every employee of G.A. West. My favorite song is a gospel song entitled “It Is Well With My Soul”.

What TV show/movie are you ashamed to admit you love?
I’ve never been ashamed of any movie I watched, though I’m not much into them in the first place.

If you could take a vacation anywhere, where would you go?
Israel.

If someone were to write a book about your life, what would be the title?
He Did It His Way

If Hollywood made a movie about your life, who would you like to see cast as you?
Tom Selleck.

People would be surprised if they knew:
I love poetry.

Anything else you’d like to add?
I would like to thank Gary and Benita for giving me a chance to work with G.A. West, they have been so good to me and my family.

What department do you work in?
I work in the Pipeline/Facilities Department

What’s your current position/title?
I originally hired in as Project Controls, but I have recently advanced into Estimating and Project Management

Where did you go to school?
I graduated from University of Southern Mississippi with a Bachelor’s Degree in 2013

How long have you been with G.A. West?
I started at G.A. West in September of 2013. I have been here almost 3.5 years.

How has the company changed since you’ve been here?
In the 3 ½ years I’ve been here, I feel like there has been a lot of growth throughout the company. Continuous improvement has been and should continue to be the goal for everyone. I think everyone that works here is trying to be better today than they were yesterday.

Describe your job in 25 words or less.
My primary job consists of estimating projects, assisting with the execution/management of projects, and reporting on progress of projects (both budgets and schedules). However, I’m a team player, so I will help out in any way I am needed.

Tell us what a normal day at G.A. West look like for you.
A normal day at G.A. West for me consists of estimating projects and/or change orders, assisting field supervision with anything they may need to execute the projects to the best of their ability, communicating progress with our upper management as well as the client’s project management teams, and if there are any issues with on any of my projects, I work to find solutions for those issues.

Before working at G.A. West, what was the most unusual/interesting job you’ve had?
I’ve never really had an unusual or interesting job, but when I was in high school I worked in maintenance at George Regional Hospital. I got to see some pretty strange things (and people) there, but overall it was a pretty fun job.

What is the one accomplishment or project at G.A. West that you are most proud of?
I think the project that I am most proud of being a part of was building a grass roots compressor station in Moss Point, MS. It was a tough project at the time due to a large amount of wetlands, permitting interferences, and tight work spaces but we finished the project prior to the required in service date and made a good profit margin on it.

What do you enjoy most about working at G.A. West?
I think the thing I enjoy most about working at G.A. West is the people. I have worked alongside some great people in my time with the company and I have enjoyed building and maintaining a lot of good relationships here.

What are three career lessons you’ve learned thus far? (here or elsewhere)
1. Continue to learn. Knowledge is power. Every day, I try to learn something new.
2. Come in each and every day, with the mindset that you will be better than you were yesterday.
3. Prove your worth. Hard work and determination matter. Some people may have certifications, skills, or abilities that you don’t possess; but you can still out work them!

What is the best advice you have ever been given?
We shouldn’t sit around and wait for someone to give us what we want. We have to go get it.  Another one of my favorites is “No risk, no reward”

What is the worst advice you have ever been given?
None that I can recall of the top of my head. I was once tricked into buying into what turned out to be a pyramid scheme though.

What 3 words would you use to describe G.A. West?
Safe, Skilled, Qualified

What’s playing in your car right now?
Probably Fox News right now, I typically listen to it on the way in to work every morning.

What is the one thing you cannot do without?
I refuse to have a meal without meat. I could never be a vegetarian.

If you could meet anyone in the world, dead or alive, who would it be and why?
There are a lot of people I would like to meet, but I bet Clint Eastwood could probably tell some pretty good stories.

If you had to eat one meal every day for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Steak, Asparagus, and a Baked Potato

Tell us about your family & activities outside of work.
I’m married, but no kids yet. Golf and fishing are big hobbies of mine. But usually if I’m not at work, my wife and I are doing something around the house or we are hanging out with friends and family somewhere.

What is your favorite movie of all time? Favorite song?
I have a lot of favorites, so it probably wouldn’t be fair to mention just one. My favorite TV show of all time was definitely “The Office” though.

What TV show/movie are you ashamed to admit you love?
I recently finished watching Sons of Anarchy; I was shocked that I actually liked it.

If you could take a vacation anywhere, where would you go?
Bora Bora, I’ve always wanted to go there.

If someone were to write a book about your life, what would be the title?
No Regrets: The life and times of Jeremy Konecny. But it wouldn’t sell too many copies.

If Hollywood made a movie about your life, who would you like to see cast as you?
Mark Wahlberg; Not because we look alike or anything, but he is a pretty good actor and likes to “tell it like it is”

People would be surprised if they knew:
Before I chose to go into the industrial/construction world, my first major in college was nursing.