VSSE Recognizes Arnie Parks

We would like to recognize Arnie Parks, Plants Manager, for his outstanding leadership and commitment to improving operational efficiency across our facilities.

Drawing on his many years of industry and plant operations experience, Arnie has taken a fresh look at how our facilities operate and identified opportunities to reduce costs without compromising production capabilities or customer service. One area of focus has been optimizing our heating systems.

Through his leadership, adjustments were made to system pressures and heater tempurature setpoints, reducing fuel consumption while maintaining product quality, production rates, and operational reliability.

Arnie has also played a key role in reducing electrical costs by analyzing energy usage patterns and identifying factors contributing to peak demand charges. Recognizing that rail operations were a significant driver of electrical demand during peak pricing periods, he led efforts to shift most railcar unloading activities to nighttime hours. This change has significantly lowered electrical demand costs while ensuring raw materials remain available and production stays ready to meet customer needs.

What makes Arnie's contributions especially valuable is his ability to balance efficiency with preparedness. We appreciate his constant focus on finding smarter ways to operate, lower costs, and ensure our plants remain ready to respond to changing production demands. His hands-on leadership, operational expertise, and dedication to continuous improvement is helping strengthen our business adn support the long-term success of our operations.

Thank you, Arnie, for your dedication, leadership, and commitment to finding practical solutions that make a real difference every day. We appreciate all that you do!