Nokona Marks Employee's 50th Anniversary With the Company

NOCONA, Texas, March 27, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Nokona, the American-made ball glove company since 1934, is recognizing an employee's 50-year tenure with the company.

Helen Ulbig joined Nokona on March 30th, 1962, after graduating from high school. She worked in the office then, and still does now. Through the years, Helen has become the "voice" of Nokona – greeting customers with her warm Texan lilt, and easily adapting to the many changes. When Helen started her job, she calculated payroll by laying a yardstick across a sheet on a drum to measure employees' hours. Now, she scans barcodes that include time and productivity, and uses that data to compute payroll.

Another anniversary was recently marked by Bobby Storey, who celebrated 60 years with Nokona in November 2011. After serving his tour of duty in the Korean War, Bobby began to work for his father at the factory. During Bobby's tenure, his biggest commitment was to continue to manufacture in America while most competitors had gone overseas. Today, Bobby leads factory tours, and works alongside his son, Rob – a 4th generation owner – to evaluate the quality of Nokona leathers.

"Although there are many workers who have celebrated similar milestones, Helen's and Bobby's story is unique. It is a success story of the American worker in American manufacturing," said Jeff Beraznik, President of Nokona. "Helen and Bobby have experienced the many twists in the road of American factory life through the decades. They are still actively engaged in the business, and we are very proud." 

Nokona will mark both anniversaries with a celebration at the factory on April 2nd, which will be a community event.

"The time has flown by," said Helen Ulbig. "I get up every morning and I'm ready to go. I love my job."

ABOUT NOKONA.  Since 1934, Nokona has been producing ball gloves for America's pastime right here in the United States. Made with top-grain American hides provided by American ranchers, Nokona gloves are still produced in the very same small town in Texas by Americans who carefully cut, stamp, stitch, lace, and embroider each glove by hand. For more information, visit www.nokona.com, or call 1-800-821-0231.

SOURCE Nokona