Basketball and Board Repair

I’m a big fan of basketball, and whenever I get a chance, I play with friends in my neighborhood. I don't play for an organized team, just casual pickup games, and it’s always a lot of fun. Where I really get the best team experience, and this might sound surprising, is at work, with my team in Board Repair at Okuma America. There’s a famous quote from Michael Jordan that says “Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence win championships." I think teamwork is the reason we chalk up wins every day, putting out quality products in the Board Repair department.

A Happy Family

I’ve been part of the Board Repair Exchange division in Okuma for almost half my life (that's me in the center of the photo above, surrounded by our awesome Board Repair team). I love being part of the process of setting and achieving departmental goals. I have the privilege of working with nine other intelligent minds that have so many ideas that challenge each other, and this makes for an exciting and humbling environment. This group spends so much time together we are at most times a happy family, but at times, like most families, we have disagreements. We have so much respect for one another that disagreements quickly change to communication and problem-solving opportunities.

Success is Just a Question Away

In all my years at Okuma I’ve never reached out to a fellow member for help where I didn’t get an answer or a helping hand. Each of us could have employment opportunities with other companies, but we choose to make connections that work here at Okuma. Board Repair is just one department at Okuma, but every department has members ready to assist. I was once told by a member in management “It’s not what you know, but how you go about getting the answer.” With Okuma having such a great family environment you know success is just a question and answer away.

The Most Important Word of All

There’s another thing that I believe sets us apart from other machine tool companies. Okuma as a company loves our customers like family, and we want to give them the best possible machine tool experience and success. Love is the basis for family, and, as the legendary coach John Wooden once said, is quite possibly the most important word of all. So you see, basketball and board repair really do have a lot in common here at Okuma. That’s a team I’m very glad to be on.

Antonio Ruth is Electronic Technician 3, Okuma America Corporation.