Forest City Gear, a manufacturer of fine- and medium-pitch custom gears, has announced the hire of Jay Hampton as Quoting Engineer. A previous employee, legacy and longtime friend of Forest City Gear's Young family, Hampton returns after more than 25 years.
Hampton started at Forest City Gear as a teenager through a connection with his grandmother Gloria Ryerson (lovingly dubbed "Grandma G" by the Young family), a hobbing operator from 1969 to 1998. After school and on weekends, Hampton cleaned around the shop, provided maintenance to the grounds and stood in as a babysitter as needed to now-President Kika Young and shareholder Appy Young.
"Some of the best memories I have of being a kid involve Fred and Wendy Young," said Hampton. "Wendy and I used to say `I love you' when we saw each other. Our families were that close."
Hampton joined Forest City Gear as a full-time machine operator in 1987. "I was due to graduate high school, it was like the week of my graduation, when Fred pulled me into his office and asked, `Are you going to college?'" says Hampton. "And I said, `No, I do not think so.'"
"He said, `Well, what are you going to do? My suggestion would be to get here at 7 o'clock Monday morning,'" continued Hampton with a laugh. "So that is what I did. That was just the relationship that Fred and I had."
Now as Quoting Engineer, Hampton will review and generate quotes and work directly with Forest City Gear customers to determine their orders' special requirements.
"I am really glad to be back here," said Hampton. "From the moment I was let in for my interview, it was like this feeling of peace. It was really cool."
"`Families matter and always will' is the first Core Value listed on our Core Values posters. Having someone so connected to Forest City Gear, through his family and through my own family, feels very affirming," said Young. "Having Jay back at FCG after his grandmother's legacy here is pretty cool. I think Jay and I are both proud to be carrying on the work from those before us, and it is definitely a heartwarming and full circle type of feeling in a situation like this one. I am absolutely delighted Jay is back and I am confident his grandmother and my parents would have been as well. Cheers to gears and many more years."
For more information contact:
Forest City Gear
11715 Main Street
Roscoe, IL 61073
815-623-2168
quotes@forestcitygear.com
www.forestcitygear.com