Gary Davis
Human Resources
Corporate Office
Congratulations to our STAR Employee of the month, Gary Davis!
At Harbin, we believe in recognizing and celebrating the hard work and dedication of our employees. This month, we are thrilled to congratulate Gary Davis, our Human Resource Manager, for being named the STAR Employee of August. Gary’s contributions to our business have been invaluable, and we are grateful for his commitment and loyalty. This year marks a significant milestone for Gary as he celebrates his 20th anniversary with our company.
Before joining Harbin, Gary worked at Nakanishi Manufacturing Corporation in Winterville, GA as the Quality System Coordinator (QS 9000). In this role, he was responsible for creating work instructions and procedures for all departments at the plant, which manufactured parts for the automotive industry, including steel bearings, plastic bearings, and rubber seals. In 2004, Gary joined the HLC family as the General Manager of the Door & Window Shop. This transition was not without its challenges, as Gary went from overseeing the production of thousands of parts and being deeply involved in a Japanese manufacturing culture to starting afresh in a new role. However, the team at the Door Shop showed great kindness and patience, helping Gary navigate his new responsibilities and learn the ropes. Despite the initial difficulties, the team’s hard work paid off, and by the third year, they had successfully established the Door Shop as a thriving part of our business. During this time, Gary also began assisting with HR and fleet tracking, showcasing his versatility and willingness to take on additional responsibilities. When the decision was made to change the model of the Door Shop and focus solely on selling to lumber yards, Gary made the transition to HR full time. His dedication and adaptability have been instrumental in the success of this transition.
What is a day in the life of a HR Manager like?
“As HR Manager, my job varies from day to day. I am most everyone’s favorite person twice each month, since that’s how often we get paid. I spend a lot of time on benefits for our employees and try to help jump through hoops. I can’t always give the answer I want to give, but I try to help be the bridge between Harbin Lumber and the insurance companies we have. I also get to look for new talent. I post ads looking to fill positions. Many times I get to sit in on interviews. I find it interesting to hear what some people have done in the past. One of the most important things about my job is safety. Thankfully, we have Safety Shelley to help keep us focused on safety. She is able to spend time at each location each month focused solely on safety. I stay involved in the process, but she has done a great job of taking this aspect of Human Resources and growing a culture of safety at Harbin.” – Gary
“Gary’s official title is Human Resources Manager but he is really much more. He is also a recruiter, counselor, event planner, insurance advisor, minister, GIF master, and bad pun maker. He has been a loyal and dedicated part of Harbin Lumber and we are excited to see him reach this 20 year work anniversary milestone!” – Westley Harbin, President
What do you like about your job?
“We have a wide, varied, eclectic, mixed assortment of awesome humans working here. We are a family-owned company and we even have a lot of families represented in our company roster. I love to be able to get together to celebrate milestones, achievements, random Tuesdays and more (yes, I’m a big fella – I love an opportunity to get together to eat). We have a hard-working group of people working here. I love that we find reasons to stop work and celebrate each other. I also like the fact that I am one cog in the Human Resources wheel. There is plenty of “human resources” that is going on at each location. Employees have stepped up and helped with safety and training throughout the company. This only helps us grow and makes everyone’s job easier. One of the reasons I like my job so much is that I can reach out to others for help and they are willing to jump right in. For example, if I need to talk to someone about benefits or payroll or safety at Load Star, I can have that discussion in Spanish if I want. I don’t need 2 years of Rosetta Stone, use Google Translate or anything like that. I have Ingrid Martinez! Ingrid has been invaluable in bringing all aspects of HR to a group of our employees that I would have a hard time communicating with.”- Gary
What do you like about working for Harbin?
“I really like the feeling that I “get” to come to work everyday and not that I “have” to come to work. I know I already said this, but if you didn’t know it already, we are a family-owned company. One of the benefits of that is the culture of family in what we do every day. We work so that we can take care of our family. Thankfully, I am also able to take time off to enjoy my family as well. The S.T.A.R. principles we implemented years ago are vital to our decision making. While all points are important, the Royal Law stands out since that puts the focus on others and how we should act toward them. I have been in multiple meetings where the driving force behind a decision has been Westley Harbin asking, “What’s the right thing to do?” instead of the question being, “What’s the most profitable thing to do?” even though we are a multi-million-dollar corporation. One of the biggest benefits of working for this company is a servant driven focus that determines our direction. “ – Gary
Any influences or references of people you work with?
“ I really appreciate Barron Harbin, Chris Moon and John Hylton for taking a chance on me 20 years ago. They hired me without even knowing how much I love clip art! Early on, those 3 were the biggest influences on my Harbinization. When I moved into HR, I leaned on Philip Hunt a good bit. He had done the job of HR/Payroll before and he showed me the ropes. Any failures I have in HR can all be traced back to him. I will also say that Ashley Guest has been a great influence on the “extra” we can do when Marketing and HR work together.” – Gary
When he is not HR Manager at Harbin, Gary is the pastor at Franklin County Church of Christ. He has been preaching for overall 15 years but has been at Franklin County for 7 years. He is married to his beautiful wife, Melissa celebrating 32 years this year. Together they have two kids (Julia – 31 and Jeremy 23). “While we miss them living at home with us, we are always excited to see what new adventure their lives bring.” They also have 3 grandchildren (Kayleigh, Landon and Grayson). “They are ridiculously entertaining. We love how they have their own personalities, but remind us so much of our kids when they were little. We take full advantage of the grandparent mantra of “love, play, spoil, send home & repeat.” – Gary
Gary’s contributions to our company extend beyond his role in HR. He has worn many hats throughout his career at Harbin, and his willingness to step up and take on new challenges has been truly commendable. His expertise, experience, and commitment to excellence is what makes him a true STAR at HLC. His hard work, dedication, and commitment to our values make him an inspiration to us all. Thank you, Gary, for your continued efforts and congratulations on this well-deserved recognition.
Favorite Quote:
“The Bible is full of scriptures that will make our lives better personally, as well as help us in business. What I have seen at Harbin Lumber is a natural fulfillment of Ecclesiastes 4:12, “And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him – a threefold cord is not quickly broken.” The emphasis in the scripture is on people working together for the same goal, in the same way. It is hard to stop them. We have a team here that is “ALL IN” and works together to “fulfill dreams.” This little family run lumber business, because of the strands that work together to pull in one direction, “is not quickly broken.” If we maintain that same focus, we will be a force for many years. I look forward to seeing where we go in the next 20 years and beyond.” – Gary Davis