40 years spent in any career path is a monumental accomplishment. We take these milestones very seriously, and they’re often an opportunity to pour into a teammate that has spent decades pouring themselves into their teams.
Stan Leverson is one that has truly left his mark on the company and his crew. As foreman of Perry Plant, located in Senatobia, MS, he’s spent the last four decades making care for others his top priority.
John Paul Finerson, Vice President of Production, shared, “While I have only been able to work with Stan over the past couple of years, his high level of dedication immediately became apparent to me.”
He went on to add, “Stan knows and understands every aspect of the mining and processing operation, and that is greatly due to Stan’s humility. He has done, and is still willing to perform, any job or task on the plant site. It has truly been an honor and privilege to be able to work with and get to better know Stan.”
Eddie Ragsdale, Superintendent of Wash Plants, shared “Stan is one of the most hard-working, dedicated foremen that we have. He’s got the philosophy that he’ll never ask a teammate to do something that he’s not willing to do himself.”
Henry Reed, Assistant Superintendent of Wash Plants, earnestly agreed with and added to Eddie’s sentiments. He remarked, “Stan is always out there trying his best to keep the plant running. He’s hard-working and cares a lot about his crew. 40 years is a long time… He’s been a good one.”
In order to hear how he’s achieved such a successful and long-standing career, we sat down with Stan himself to hear his wisdom firsthand:
Describe your favorite memory here from the past 4 decades.
“I’ve got a lot of memories and all of them are pretty good,” Stan shared while smiling.
He went on to tell a story of an old supervisor that seems to have inspired his philosophy of leadership. Stan shared, “This loader had gotten stuck down in some water. [My supervisor] always led by example and said, ‘if I can do it, we all can do it.’ It was cold and winter at the time, so no one wanted to [jump in the water to] hook it up and tow it out. He [jumped in] and hooked the cable to the machine to pull it out.”
Pick one word to describe your 40 years spent with MSG.
“Honest is the best way that I can put it. [The company has] always been fair and honest with me. Whenever I’ve been told something, they always did it. If they couldn’t do it, they [were honest with me] and told me they couldn’t do it. Overall, it’s an honest day’s work for an honest day’s pay.”
Can you list the positions you’ve filled over the years? What plants have you worked at?
“I’ve been at all of the wash plants [over the years] and I’ve filled all positions… shovel man, plant man, grader operator, loader operator, and dozer operator. I’ve operated just about every piece of equipment we’ve got. I like to run a loader or bobcat best, but I try and let the team do it [for learning opportunities] these days.”
What have you enjoyed most about working here?
“You’re gonna do something different every day and you’re always gonna learn something. At the end of the day, there’s always a different way to do something. I’ve worked with all different types of people. It’s all about attitude. You get the best results when you try and understand your people instead of someone [voicing a concern] and you not listening. I try to help as much as I can.”
What motivates you to get out of bed in the morning?
“Family. That’s what moves me.”
We’re truly honored to have known and worked with Stan these past 40 years. His team shares no shortage of praise for the remarkable career and relationships he’s built over the years. Stan, we thank you for your service and the dedication you bring to the job site each and every day!
