At the age of 72, Kline has no anticipation of retiring. He enjoys his work, is blessed with good health and wants to keep on trucking — literally. As a truck driver for the sanitaryware and bathware company, Kline can travel between 350 to 500 miles a day making customer deliveries of toilets, sinks and tubs.

“I love talking to our customers, being on the road and working for this company so why would I retire?” says Kline, a resident of Perrysville, Ohio. “My health has always been really good and this is a great team to be a part of, so I’m going to keep working as long as possible!”

Hired on January 30, 1965 at the age of 20 as a clean-up person at the Mansfield manufacturing facility in Perrysville, Ohio, Kline relishes his work and his family. The father of 11, grandfather of 38 and great-grandfather of eight, Kline is keeping a family tradition going strong at Mansfield Plumbing.

“During my lifetime I’ve seen two of my children work at Mansfield, three of my brothers and a variety of other family members,” says Kline. “This place is part of all of us.”

Married for 52 years to his wife Lois, Kline has been actively involved in his community his entire life. He coached basketball and softball at the high school level for decades and is a member of the Mohican Area Community Fund.

Kline spent his first 18 years with Mansfield as an inspector/grader of sanitaryware products as they came out of the kiln. “I checked for cracks and blemishes to make sure the quality was there for each and every piece that went out the door,” says Kline. “About 34 years ago I decided to try driving a truck. That’s been a terrific job because I’ve been able to make deliveries to every state east of the Mississippi River.

“For awhile I was shuttling product from our plant to our warehouse. Now I’m back to making deliveries to customers throughout Ohio. On any given day I could be in Dayton, Columbus or Cincinnati. This is a great job that allows me to meet with our customers. I’m planning on staying healthy enough to continue for several more years!”

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From school scholarships for employees children to donations of toilets to churches, fire departments and shelters, Mansfield played a strong role in the Ohio and Texas communities where the company has operations.

“Our contributions locally in 2016 were the greatest our company has ever made in a single year,” according to Natalie Thomas, vice president of human resources for Mansfield Plumbing. “We give top priority to organizations our current or past employees are connected to and then strong consideration to activities in our immediate geographic manufacturing areas.”

From hams donated to the Mansfield fire station during the Thanksgiving holiday to constant support of high school and booster club programs, Mansfield Plumbing plays an integral role in community activities.

“Each donation request, whether it’s for cash or product, is reviewed and analyzed carefully,” says Thomas. “We give equal consideration to a request for $100 to support a local elementary school as we would a $1,000 request for the robotics team at the Loudonville high school. Being a responsible, involved member of our communities helps Mansfield Plumbing stay connected with our employees and the places where we work and live.”

During the past five years, Mansfield Plumbing has made more than 275 donations locally totaling $128,180 to support communities in Ohio and Texas where the company has manufacturing operations.

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Marissa Cox, daughter of Jody Aberts, who works in the Model Shop on first shift at Mansfield Plumbing, is attending the Mansfield branch of The Ohio State University. She is majoring in dental hygiene.

Ridge Durbin, son of Mansfield employee Kirk Durbin, is attending West Liberty University majoring in pre-dentistry. His father works in the Grade & Pack department at the Perrysville plant as part of A-Crew.

Samuel Pember, son of Gary Pember, the vice president of marketing at Mansfield, is attending Kent State University. He is majoring in managerial marketing.

Jessica Shaw, daughter of Mansfield employee Christopher Shaw, who works in the Spray department (A-Crew), is attending Mount Vernon Nazarene University. She is majoring in accounting.

Jordan Westfield, daughter of employee Brandon Westfield, is attending the Mansfield branch of The Ohio State University to study education. Her father works in the Grade & Pack department as part of A-Crew.

“Each year we offer scholarships to deserving children of our employees who are headed to college,” says Natalie Thomas, vice president of human resources at Mansfield Plumbing. “We consider the $1,000 scholarships we’re providing to these students as an investment in their futures.

“The monies for the scholarship program are dedicated to helping students pursue their dreams for higher educational opportunities. All our employees with children going to college are invited to apply for the yearly scholarships.”

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The accident in 1966 involved a twin-engine Cessna plane headed to Chattanooga, Tenn. on company business. Severe weather was believed to have caused the crash, which happened near Granville, Ohio. The wreckage and five victims were found in a heavily wooded area on August 17, 1966.

“The tragedy 50 years ago that took the lives of Kenneth Edmondson, Arthur Young, Theodore Smith, Harry Moyers and the pilot, Paul Root, still touches many of us today,” says Jim Morando, president of Mansfield Plumbing. “This is a tight-knit community. There are family members and people still residing in our area who remember these people.”

To honor the victims, Mansfield Plumbing will host a public commemorative service today at Perrysville United Methodist Church with Pastor Rob Paterson presiding. Remembrances from family and friends of those lost in the crash will be invited during the service.

One family member who lost his grandfather in the crash is Rod Edmondson, the current Model Shop Manager at Mansfield Plumbing. Edmondson was a child when his grandfather died. He continues the family tradition and is the third generation of Edmondson men who have had careers at the company since it started in 1929.

“It’s really important for myself and my family to honor these men on August 16th,” says Rod Edmondson, a 32-year employee at Mansfield Plumbing.”This service is especially important for my family members so we can keep their memories alive and honor those lost in the plane crash.”

In addition to the service, leaders at Mansfield Plumbing will dedicate the new employee cafeteria at Mansfield Plumbing in honor of Edmondson, Moyers, Smith and Young. A plaque will be hung and a display featuring memorabilia and information on the plane crash will be on view for employees to see.

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As an example, company president Jim Morando cites Paul Stover, who started as a part-time cleanup person with Mansfield Plumbing 23 years ago and rose through the company to become vice president of manufacturing.  

“This is the life story of how dedication and hard work can result in strong personal success,” says Jim Morando, president of Mansfield Plumbing. “Paul came to us in 1993 with a willingness to grow with our company. As a result, he tackled every challenge presented to him and has become an incredibly valuable part of our team.” 

Promoted to vice president of manufacturing in November of 2013, Stover is now responsible for the entire sanitaryware manufacturing operation at the company’s Perrysville, Ohio facility. His days are filled with scheduling, cost and safety activities, along with a focus on continuous improvement methodologies, training and production levels of the toilets and lavatories manufactured at the facility. 

“My career progressed naturally over time because this company provided me with many opportunities to learn and grow within the organization,” says Stover, a resident of Danville, Ohio. “Manufacturing careers aren’t generally glamorous, but when you align with a company that believes in their employees and takes care of them it’s easy to turn a job into a lifelong career. 

“At Mansfield Plumbing we work together as a team towards a common goal. That single element makes this career rewarding.”

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“When I started at Mansfield in 1971 it was hard to get a job with the company,” says Banbury, a resident of Brinkhaven, Ohio. “There was a waiting list of people who wanted to work at Mansfield. I was lucky to come at a time when they were expanding and got my foot in the door. After that, my brothers followed me into Mansfield.”

During his 45 years with the company, Banbury worked in clean-up, the Spray department and casted toilets by hand with single molds. As automation advancements were made he moved into different positions at the Perrysville, Ohio facility. For the past 22 years he served as a caster in the Bench & Battery department.

“After 45 years on the plant floor at Mansfield, I’m looking forward to a more relaxed schedule and spending time with my family,” says Banbury. “With more than 100 years of combined service among us, I think you can say that the Banbury brothers have truly left a positive mark on Mansfield Plumbing.”

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Kopp, 23, who grew up in Loudonville, Ohio and worked several summers at Mansfield Plumbing while in school, is a legacy employee for the company.  His grandfather, uncle and father have all worked for the company over the years.  John Kopp, Nicholas’s father, recently celebrated his 27th anniversary with Mansfield Plumbing and works in the Grade and Pack Department as a grader.

“We definitely have family history at Mansfield,” says Kopp. “I grew up around the plant. During high school I ran hurdles, which ignited my passion for running. Then when I turned 20 I started training and running the ultra marathons.”

In the 7th Annual Oil Creek 100, Kopp beat the previous course record for the event by 21 minutes. “This was my personal best time … I felt really good and ran continually from 5am to around 10pm,” says Kopp, a former Mansfield Plumbing employee. “There were about 150 people in the race and we ran mostly on remote trails through the Allegheny Mountains.”

Next up for the athlete is the Ouray 100 in Colorado in July. “That’s an entirely different kind of race because of the terrain and the altitude,” says Kopp. “I’ve already started training for that event!”

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“Mansfield Plumbing has many opportunities for career growth, so it’s not surprising our family has aligned with this reliable company,” says Rod Edmondson, model shop manager at Mansfield Plumbing and a 32-year employee. “Weldon, my father, was here from 1954 to 1995, so we worked together for many years.

“During his early years with the company my dad worked alongside my grandfather Kenneth, who was here from 1956 to 1966. Our fourth generation Mansfield employee is my son Kolton. He worked here this summer as college help, which was a great opportunity for him.”

The “family affair of service” at Mansfield Plumbing extends deep for the Edmondson clan. Members of the family — including Edmondson’s grandmother, siblings, uncle and cousins — have served a total of 231 years at the plumbing products manufacturing company.

Edmondson says career growth opportunities are plentiful at Mansfield Plumbing. “I started in clean-up and as a parts cleaner,” says Edmondson. “I’ve advanced during my career here as a screw machine operator, case maker, modeler and now as the model shop manager.

“I’ve always been proud to say I work at Mansfield Plumbing with a great group of people. My family and I can’t imagine what life would have been like without the important role this company has played in our lives.”

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