Clyde’s Corner

Val West and Libra Industries: Lessons in patience and confidence building

by Clyde Whitaker

I’m sure most of you can recall your first real grown-up job. As I think back to mine, I remember the anticipation and maybe a little fear of what was to come. I also recognize, now, that my teachers really did help prepare me for what was to come after high school.

Following my graduation from good old Stockbridge High in June 1973, I applied at Libra Industries on Blackstone Street in Jackson and was hired as a warehouse supervisor.

The company was established in 1969 by owners Mel Maki and Tom Batista, along with their wives, Jane Maki and Gretchen Batista. Libra was basically a glove reconditioning house and a safety products distributor. The focus was on cleaning dirty work gloves and selling new ones, along with other products like hard hats, respirators, and safety shoes to name a few.

My position included stocking and distributing items from the warehouse and loading product onto our trucks for deliveries in Michigan, Ohio, and Indiana. I worked as warehouse supervisor for approximately one year until I was promoted to outside sales representative, with a territory that included southern Michigan, northern Ohio, and Indiana.

Starting out as a warehouse supervisor was a tough, demanding job for this wet-behind-the-ears teenager, especially considering my only prior work experience had been manual labor on the Krummrey Farm.

Fortunately, my supervisor was a sharp-as-a-tack, no-nonsense individual named Val West.

Val taught this greenhorn everything about running a business. She was very patient, showing me how to set up and run an inventory, order products, manage my time, and make priority lists for each day. Yes, Val taught me so much about business, but also about believing in myself.

Val told me when I was hired that I would be reviewed in 30 days, and I would get a pay increase if I was catching on. Well, I guess I was catching on because, after a month, my hourly rate was increased by 25 cents an hour. Admittedly, back then, that extra quarter-per-hour increase was nice. But being young and dumb, I felt I deserved more. So Val diplomatically explained to me “This is just the start. You have a long way to go. Just be patient.”  And she was right.

To put that 25-cent increase in perspective, at the Christmas Party that year, I was handed a white envelope. I wasn’t sure what it was, so I just put it in my pocket for later. After the party was over, I sat in my car and opened the envelope. I remember letting out a yell, because inside was a $750.00 bonus check! You can bet I raced home and ran inside whooping and hollering to show my mom and dad the check I had received. They couldn’t believe it.

I worked outside sales for Libra for approximately six years, and during those years, I discovered that what Val had taught me and showed me—it was all true. I made a substantial salary and I was confident in my business dealings with my customers. It helped that Libra has always been a first-class operation. And congratulations to them; this year marks their 55th year in business!

I continue to think about Val West a lot and appreciate all she did to help me become a successful and productive person. I will always be grateful for people like her.

“You have a long way to go, just be patient.” These were words spoken by a very wise woman.

The Libra Industries building Clyde started working in, which is still in use today. Photo credit: Clyde Whitaker

After high school, Clyde was hired at Libra Industries, where he met sharp-as-a-tack Val West, who taught him about the business and believing in himself. Photo credit: Clyde Whitaker

Clyde Whitaker is a 1973 Stockbridge graduate. He and his wife, Mary, raised four children in Stockbridge, and they still reside in the Stockbridge area.