Administration and Human Resources provide diverse services for members and employees

By Mica Graybill

Administrative Staff (L-R): Valerie Hearon, Jim Taylor, Jan O’Boyle and Dana Brown.

Administration and Human Resources employees at PCCA work hard to ensure the well being of fellow employees and coordinate many functions related to our members and business partners. It consists of several individual departments with diverse duties to ensure an efficient work environment and effective communications.

Several employees work to keep PCCA’s management well prepared and organized. Administration and Human Resources are under the direct supervision of Vice President Jim Taylor.

The administrative staff, led by Executive Administrator Jan O’Boyle, serves as the liaison between PCCA President and CEO Wally Darneille, the cooperative’s vice presidents and the board of directors. Preparing monthly meeting notices, agendas and packets for PCCA’s Board of Directors, Delegate Body and Marketing Pool Committee meetings are just a few of O’Boyle’s duties. “I really enjoy the work and diverse nature of my job,” she said.

Payroll (L-R): Michelle McKinney, Carol Miller and Carri Lindsay.

Administrative Assistants Dana Brown and Valerie Hearon also help keep things running smoothly. In addition to providing assistance to PCCA’s president and vice presidents, these employees prepare reports, meeting documents and coordinate travel arrangements for management and board members. Hearon is impressed by the work environment and commitment that employees provide to PCCA’s members and customers.

“My favorite thing about PCCA is the feeling that everyone is working toward a single goal,” said Hearon. “I have never worked at a company where the people are so dedicated to ensuring that their customers, or in our case the members, are well cared for and their interests are our main priority.”

PCCA’s Payroll Department employees pride themselves on confidentiality and accuracy. Their specific duties include making sure employees get paid on time, are paid accurately and that all personal information is maintained in strictest confidence.

Personnel (Back, L-R): Lee Phenix, Delmer Harris, Gary Smith. (Front, L-R): Janette Greenfield, Jan Owens, Lacey Ainsworth.

Payroll Supervisor Carri Lindsay is in charge of internal auditing of payroll processes as well as overseeing that PCCA maintains accurate records and complies with all payroll related laws and regulations. Lindsay is assisted by Payroll Clerks Michelle McKinney and Carol Miller. McKinney is responsible for processing and maintaining ACG’s payroll and records while Miller is accountable for processing and maintaining the same for the Warehouse and Marketing Divisions.

Personnel Manager Lee Phenix is proud of his team and the amount of hard work and effort they put into making their department a success. “Our department plays a more prominent role in PCCA than most people realize,” said Phenix. “The staff works hard to give our employees the full advantages that employment with PCCA offers.”

Another important responsibility of this department is managing employee benefits such as health insurance and retirement plans. This important and time- consuming job is the responsibility of Benefits Administrator Jan Owens and Benefits Assistant Lacey Ainsworth. Owens enjoys helping others because she feels it is a way to give back to people.

“Helping others gives me a good feeling about the work I am doing, and it helps take stress out of people’s lives,” said Owens.

Public and Legislative Affairs (L-R): Amy Dromgoole, Mica Graybill, Emma Matkin, Lynette Wilson and John Johnson.

Maintenance of the building and grounds at PCCA also is an important duty of the Personnel Department. Maintenance Assistant Delmer Harris keeps everything up and running, from taking care of the landscape and servicing company vehicles to working on general maintenance jobs around the building.

In addition, two other people contribute their efforts to ensure efficiency on a day-to-day basis. Banking and Mail Courier Gary Smith ensures that vital documents are handled efficiently and that PCCA gets the best value for the money spent to handle correspondence and shipping. Receptionist Janette Greenfield efficiently answers between 300 and 400 phone calls per day and greets visitors.

The Public and Legislative Affairs department at PCCA is responsible for maintaining much of the communication with members, employees and the general public. These efforts include publications such as the member magazine, Commentator, and the employee newsletter, The Common Thread. This department also produces news releases for the media, creates PCCA’s Annual Report and produces advertising to promote PCCA’s products and services.

“Our job is to keep everyone informed about the activities of this cooperative and developments that affect this industry,” said John Johnson, Director of Public and Legislative Affairs.

Johnson works closely with organizations such as The National Cotton Council, Southwest Council of Agribusiness, National Council of Textile Organizations, and the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives. He also works in close contact with staff of numerous congressmen and senators in Washington, D.C., regarding legislation moving through Congress.

Communications Manager Lynette Wilson calls this group the “creative” department. She said the department is full of new projects, constant changes and creative ideas. Wilson does everything from graphic design to advertising, and is an avid writer and photographer. She also represents PCCA by volunteering with a number of organizations including United Way and the Lubbock Chamber of Commerce. According to Wilson, she likes the fact PCCA and her department have a family atmosphere.

“The people at PCCA are wonderful because they enjoy their work and the camaraderie of the other employees,” said Wilson. “I was lucky to find my niche’ in this department.”

Communications Specialist Emma Matkin is busy producing and managing new projects including SAFEDenim jeans. She also is busy creating a new Web site for Denimatrix, the latest addition to PCCA’s Textile Division.

Communications interns Amy Dromgoole and Mica Graybill are Texas Tech students training for careers in the communications field. Their duties in the department involve writing for the publications, graphic design and taking on challenging special projects.

According to Johnson, the people who work in his department work well together and make a positive and productive team. “I am blessed to have a highly competent and dedicated team to ensure that our department meets its goals and responsibilities,” said Johnson.

Success at PCCA is accomplished by the hard work and dedication of each of the employees in these departments. “I believe that our employees demonstrate exceptional talent, dedication and commitment,” said Taylor. “We can have great plans and ideas, but it takes a real person doing real work to make plans and ideas a reality. This group of employees does just that. They do good work on behalf of our members and our employees. It is a pleasure to be associated with them.”