{"406361":{"#nid":"406361","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Albany plant manager finds passion in manufacturing","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EBeing reared in a family of five siblings can provide ample opportunities to learn about teamwork, collaboration, and taking responsibility seriously.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThese skills would prove to come in handy for Werhner Washington, the new plant manager of the Proctor \u0026amp; Gamble (P\u0026amp;G) paper manufacturing facility in Albany, Ga. The plant produces Bounty paper towels and Charmin toilet paper.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cI believe in strong collaboration and cultivating a culture of ownership,\u201d said Washington, who got his start in manufacturing as a process engineer at that very facility in 1985. Now, 30 years later and having worked at a number of different P\u0026amp;G plants in the country, as well as the company\u2019s Cincinnati, Ohio, headquarters, Washington is back in Albany.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWhen I first arrived at the Albany plant, the plant manager job looked so large,\u201d he said. \u201cWhen I left 11 years later, I dreamed I would one day have that job.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ENow he does, running one of P\u0026amp;G\u2019s largest plants \u2014 both in total number of employees and physical space.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWashington is the Georgia Manufacturing Extension Partnership\u2019s (GaMEP) May Face of Manufacturing.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EEach month, GaMEP highlights an individual in the state\u2019s manufacturing sector to emphasize just how important a role the industry plays in Georgia\u2019s economy. As a sector, manufacturing employs 365,000. Beyond the numbers, however, the Faces of Manufacturing initiative illustrates how companies economically sustain the communities they call home.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIt\u2019s certainly something Washington sees in running the manufacturing plant, the largest in Dougherty County. \u201cIt\u2019s humbling to be part of the largest manufacturer in the county. Our team is aware that for every one P\u0026amp;G job at this plant, three to four other jobs have been created within the state of Georgia,\u201d Washington said. \u201cThat\u2019s a tremendous responsibility to have, and I take it on my shoulders as the leader to keep this plant strong for the team and for the community.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThese companies are integral to their communities\u2019 economic strength, but they have personal impact, too. That fits into Washington\u2019s philosophy of giving back to Albany personally and professionally.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHe sits on the board of Albany Technical College and the Albany Area Chamber of Commerce and is deeply involved in civic efforts to strengthen the regional economy.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAll of those efforts, he said, circle back to his original passion, manufacturing, which he believes he was born to do.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cIt\u2019s this passion and day-to-day appreciation for the opportunities that I\u2019ve had that has kept me happy all of these years and provided me the chance to come back home,\u201d Washington said. \u201cAnd for that \u2014 I will forever be grateful.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBy P\u00e9ralte C. Paul\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAbout the Faces of Manufacturing\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EEach month, GaMEP will highlight a different person as the Face of Manufacturing. Those chosen as the Face of Manufacturing will be selected by a 12-member committee composed of representatives from Georgia Tech, economic development groups, manufacturing companies, and related associations.\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Each month the Georgia Manufacturing Extension Partnership profiles Georgians who are involved in manufacturing."}],"field_summary":"","field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Meet Werhner Washington, plant manager for Procter \u0026 Gamble\u0027s Albany, Ga. facility. 30 years after first walking into the Albany plant and 19 years after deciding to pursue other jobs within P\u0026G, he returned to the plant that launched his career."}],"uid":"28137","created_gmt":"2015-05-20 12:24:56","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:18:21","author":"P\u00e9ralte Paul","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2015-05-20T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2015-05-20T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"406391":{"id":"406391","type":"image","title":"Werhner Washington","body":null,"created":"1449254153","gmt_created":"2015-12-04 18:35:53","changed":"1475895132","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:52:12","alt":"Werhner Washington","file":{"fid":"76139","name":"wwpg.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/wwpg.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/wwpg.png","mime":"image\/png","size":454856,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/wwpg.png?itok=HPHscZnl"}}},"media_ids":["406391"],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/facesofmanufacturing.com\/portfolio\/werhner-washington\/","title":"Werhner Washington"},{"url":"http:\/\/gamep.org\/","title":"Georgia Manufacturing Extension Partnership"}],"groups":[{"id":"1214","name":"News Room"}],"categories":[{"id":"139","name":"Business"}],"keywords":[{"id":"121581","name":"Faces of Manufacturing"},{"id":"16331","name":"GaMEP"},{"id":"126521","name":"P\u0026G"},{"id":"126511","name":"Procter \u0026 Gamble"},{"id":"126531","name":"Werhner Washington"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"106361","name":"Business and Economic Development"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EFor media inquiries contact:\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ELaura Diamond\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech Media Relations\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:laura.diamond@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Elaura.diamond@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EFor more information about GaMEP contact:\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EKatie Takacs\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGaMEP Marketing Manager\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:katie.takacs@innovate.gatech.edu\u0022\u003Ekatie.takacs@innovate.gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["peralte.paul@comm.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}