50 years and perfect attendance

Mansfield Plumbing is tipping its hat to one of its longest-standing employees.

Ron Kline will celebrate his 50th work anniversary on Jan. 30, during which he has maintained a perfect attendance record.

Kline joined the company as a clean-up person at the Perrysville, Ohio, manufacturing facility when he was 20 years old.

He then spent 18 years as an inspector/grader of sanityware products fresh from the kiln.

"I checked for cracks and blemishes to make sure the quality was there for each and every piece that went out the door," he said. "About 32 years ago I decided to try driving a truck. That's been a terrific job because I've been able to make deliveries to every state east of the Mississippi River. Nowadays I mostly deliver to our customers in Ohio and shuttle product from our plant to the warehouse. I'm happy meeting with our customers and interacting with all the Mansfield people."

At the moment, he says, he has no plans to retire, though he also owns a family farm.

"I enjoy the people and what I do, so why should I consider retiring?" said Kline. "This company has been a great place to have a career and it's been good to my entire family.

Kline's son, daughter and brother are also currently working at Mansfield, in addition to two other brothers who recently retired from the company. According to Kline, his family has contributed about 220 years of service.

           

"We wish we could clone Ron," said president Jim Morando. "He shows up every day and throughout the entire day he is committed to being part of the solution."

      

"I'm basically a happy, healthy person which has allowed me to work so long without a sick day," said Kline. "I'm very blessed. With 38 grandchildren there are lots of family activities to get involved in, so it keeps me busy. But retirement isn't even an option ... I really enjoy my job and working for Mansfield is a huge part of my life."