CORRIGAN, TEXAS (June 12, 2020)…He was 17 years old when he first walked onto the floor of an East Texas wood manufacturing facility. With his first pair of steel-toed boots and a brightly colored hard hat, Clenon “Bo” Stanford set his sights on a career in producing wood products. Now 50 years later, Stanford is ready to trade his safety gear—he has worn since before graduating high school—for a baseball cap and a fishing pole.
Georgia-Pacific’s Corrigan Plywood is celebrating the life-long contributions Stanford has made to the forest products industry. Recently plant manager Chris Bluethman and Maintenance Manager James Cole, recognized Stanford’s accomplishments and presented him with a framed certificate to commemorate his upcoming retirement.
Stanford began working at the mill on June 10, 1970—and as you can imagine—he has witnessed a lot of changes through his years of service from technology and processes to leadership and plant ownership. “Georgia-Pacific owned the mill when I first began my career; however, I ended up working for many different companies along the way. Ironically, I have seen the mill come full circle and am now retiring from the company that I started with 50 years ago,” said Stanford.
Stanford began his career at Georgia-Pacific in the sawmill as he finished high school. Since then he has held numerous positions including dryer operator, layup glueline technician, millwright trainee, and machinist. He retires as a Reliability Technician in the maintenance department, a job he has held for 18 years. According to Corrigan Plywood Plant Manager Chris Bluethman, Stanford was offered other roles within the company through the years, but he truly enjoyed his work as a Reliability Technician. “Bo will certainly be missed,” said Bluethman. “He is a huge asset to this mill and filling his shoes will be difficult.”
While Stanford celebrates his 50 years of service today, he will not actually retire until later this year. At that time, the plant will celebrate his years of service with a retirement party.
