At Alpha, we know our employees are the backbone of our company’s success. It is our goal to recognize how an employee’s background and strengths could be an asset in areas beyond their current job description and help them utilize and apply them.
Recently, Wally LaBurn has been promoted to a new position, Chemistry and Environmental Specialist. Before this latest promotion, he had started on the processing line anodizing parts. Currently, Wally works in production where he racks, unracks, and inspects our customer’s parts. All of this experience has prepared Wally for his new role. Wally has been managing the lab with chemical testing of our tanks to ensure they are in specification for daily processing. On a weekly basis he assists in managing the hazardous waste that is produced from our finishing services.
Wally’s professional background suits him well for this new position. After 14 years in the military, seven years active in USMC and Army and seven in the Michigan Army and Air National Guard, Wally worked eight years as a chemist at NSF International and 20 years as a science teacher.
Greg Wood, CEO, states: “When Wally joined Alpha in July 2021 we were very excited to bring him on board. His background and experience is precisely what we need to grow in the areas of chemistry and environmental management. He demonstrates a great sense of enthusiasm, commitment, and urgency in all he does.” Since joining the team at Alpha Wally says he has appreciated “the teamwork of the staff and the small family feel of working together to create a finished product to please our customers.”
When he’s not at work Wally likes to take daily walks or bike rides on the different paths or roads in the Ann Arbor area. He also enjoys doing projects around the house and in the yard.