GASTONIA
NORTH CAROLINA
BENNETTSVILLE
SOUTH CAROLINA
BOWLING GREEN
KENTUCKY
‘Ttre^fone
AUGUST • 1973
The fabric we produce and sell must cover cost of
production and the total operation, plus something
earned “to keep going on”—or we “go broke.” The
only way to survive in business is to make a profit.
A firm producing goods to sell meets competition
and succeeds in business through the highest rate of
production with quality, per unit cost.
Jam-s B. Call • Fiiestone Textiles Company President
rf: If tii
Related Photos Page 2
Old House — Last Day
• The old Industrial Relations Annex building
across from Main Office at the Gastonia plant, in
mid-July was scheduled to be torn down to make
way for enlarged parking facilities. For around
25 years the building had served as offices for
Methods-Standards, Firestone News and the
plant photographic service. Before that, it had
been a home for some Firestone people and
others. New offices on third floor of the factory
left the old house "without a reason for being."
Company Shares Help Program
WITH OTHER
ORGANIZATIONS
Firestone is sharing with other organizations its training
materials from the company’s comprehensive employee-
assistance program for those who have problems with alco
hol and drugs.
The program is designed to
be Introduced to management
and supervisors through an
hour-long presentation to in
struct them on how to help em
ployees.
The training kit consisting of
137 35mm color slides and a
complete script, is available
from Firestone at $110 (cost of
production and mailing).
"WE DECIDED to share this
program with other companies,
government and social agencies
becausc of the widespread prob
lems caused by alcohol and
other drugs and because of the
many requests we have had for
it,” said John T. Cahoon. The
vice president of personnel and
planning pointed out that the
National Council on Alcoholism
estimates that from 5 to 10 per
cent of any given group of em-
More Pay Under Tuition Plan
Firestone employees going
to school now can be reim
bursed by the company for
an increased number of
credit hours satisfactorily
completed.
Firestone Textiles Company
comptroller H. S. Laver said
that changes already in effect
in the tuition-refund program
allows pay for five credit hours,
instead of the previous three
hours.
THIS IS in the undergraduate
program for completion of pub
lic school, accredited college or
university courses.
Employees within five years
of normal retirement age may
be reimbursed for courses which
would contribute to a more satis
factory and fulfilled retirement,
such as investment subjects or
hobby courses.
The program also includes
adult education classes which
carry no credit toward a degree.
Mr. Laver pointed out that
the graduate program now in
cludes payment for registration
and lab fees, previously not al
lowed.
THE TUITION refund pro
gram has made it possible for
hundreds of Firestone people to
be reimbursed for the full tui
tion costs of many college
courses, providing the course
work is completed satisfactorily
• More, page 2
King Heads UGF
BOWLING
GREEN
ployees in the nation suffer
from progressive alcoholism.
The Firestone Employee As
sistance Program was created a
year ago by Edward L. Johnson,
a member of the company’s
medical department, and an au
thority on drug and alcohol
abuse. The program adminis
trator is a consultant to the Na
tional Institute on Alcohol
Abuse and Alcoholism, a divi
sion of the Department of
Health, Education and Welfare.
Under the Firestone program,
persons who voluntarily seek
help remain anonymous. Their
identities are known only to
Johnson and his staff and no
notation is made on the person’s
work records.
The program is open to both
hourly and salaried personnel
and to members of their im
mediate families.
It is designed to identify the
employee’s problem at the earl
iest possible stage, encourage
the person to seek help and to
direct the individual to the best
possible help at hand.
“We have had excellent re
sults with this program and we
therefore feel that others can
gain similar benefits for their
employees,” Johnson said.
Companies, organizations and
groups interested in the Fire
stone help program may order
the kit from Johnson at Fire
stone, 1200 Firestone Parkway,
Akron, Ohio 44317.
Ralph King is 1973 president of United Givers Fund of
Warren County, Ky. The Firestone, Bowling Green, plant
manager moved up from vice president, the UGF leadership
job he had last year.
The 1973 UGF drive for operating funds will be in
November. Last year Firestone Bowling Green people con
tributed $17,710 toward the $160,000 goal for the county
UGF program.
How much for flavor? Only
about 5 per cent of salt produc
ed in the United States is used
to flavor food, notes the Nation
al Geographic Society. Most of
the remaining 95 per cent goes
to chemical industries, where it
becomes part of everything from
synthetic fibers to explosives.
United Way
Will Seek
$685,114
United Way of Gaston County will seek $685,114 in its
1973 fall campaign for funds to provide support for 34 par
ticipating ‘people’ agencies and services.
Beginning date of the
month-long annual drive is
Oct. 10, with the Victory
Dinner planned for Nov. 8.
Firestone Textiles United
Way in-plant solicitation is
during October each year.
Contributions from Fire
stone people traditionally ac
count for a major portion of
the total UW goal.
The campaign goal of
$685,114 will be sought this
year under the slogan
"Thanks to you it's working."
United Way campaign area
includes all of Gaston Coun
ty except Belmont, Bessemer
City and McAdenville, com
munities which have United
Fund programs of their own.
As in past years, support
money for the UW program
will emphasize the “Fair
Share” guide to giving. This
is defined as one hour’s pay
per month, or six-tenths of
one percent of annual salary
for those earning less than
$10,000 annually; one percent
of annual salary for those
earning $10,000 or more an
nually.
Nashville Tire Plant Expanding
Manufacturing and ware
housing space will be added
to Firestone’s new truck-tire
plant near Nashville, Tenn.
The plant, which began pro
duction in 1972, is on a 170-
acre site in Interchange City
outside Nashville.
James M. Bowles, plant man
ager, said the expansion is part
of a $-multimillion Firestone do
mestic capital investment pro
gram to increase production of
truck and heavy-duty tires.
Other company plant locations
adding production capacity as
part of the program include Des
Moines, Iowa; Akron, Ohio;
Dayton, Ohio; and Salinas,
Calif.
These combined expansions
will be equivalent to the con
struction of an entire new tire
plant. At the Nashville complex,
overall employment will ap
proach 1,200 at full capacity.
The facility is designed for
production of all types of truck
tires, including all-steel radial
lines.
This tire production means de
mand for fabric from Firestone’s
textile division.
Teddy
and
Freddy
Stubbs Twins:
Talent Plenty
They’re identical twins. Teddy
M. Stubbs and Freddy T. Stubbs
began working at Firestone,
Bennettsville, on the same day
—May 30, 1972. Both eu:e in the
Twisting department. Teddy is
cable twister operator-changer
and Freddy is cable twister op
erator.
The Stubbs twins have been
singing and playing instruments
since they were 13. Freddy plays
Ribbon guitar and Teddy plays
bass guitar. Their brother Rod
ney plays piano.
THE TRIO sings and plays
gospel music at religious gath
erings and for radio.
They are members of the Pen
tecostal Holiness Church. The
twins are board members of the
church.
Teddy and Freddy are mem
bers of the Firestone SoftbaU
League. Other interests: Fishing,
hunting, playing basketball, me-
chanicking on lawnmowers.
Freddy lives with his mother,
Pearl T. Rich (a former Fire
stone employee) on Patton
Street in Bennettsville. Teddy
lives with wife Carolyn on Rob
in Street in Bennettsville.