Accent Up Pipeliner who Wears eyeliner FREE PRESS STANDARD
Section C
March 28, 2013
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Coming Events
ACTIVITIES
Mar. 29 - Resume Workshop at 10 a.m. The workshop is free and open to the public. It will be held in the Connections Building at 55 East Main St. (rear) Carrollton. For more information or to register, call 330627-3804. March 30 - Children’s Easter Egg Hunt at 1 p.m. for those up to age 8 behind Bergholz Fire House. Photos with Easter Bunny & chick. Mar. 30 - 3rd annual “Great Duck Race on Yellow Creek” at 2 p.m. (weather permitting) behind Bergholz Fire Department. Ducks on sale Saturdays in front of bank and supermarket. Cost is $5. Winner receives 50 percent of the pot. Prizes for second and third places. Apr. 6 - All-You-Eat Breakfast at Loudon Twp. Community Center in Kilgore 8-11 a.m. Cost is $5.50 for adults, $3, children ages 4-11. Amish baked good & carryout. Kilgore Evangelical Church will sponsor The Resurrection Story at 10:30 a.m. and an Egg Hunt at 11 a.m. For info, call 330-739-4405 or 330-7394193. Apr. 7 - Great Trail Firefighter’s Association 2nd annual All You Can Eat Pancake Breakfast 7 a.m. to noon at the South Station (end of Reed St.). Adults $6 and children ages 5-12, $4; under age 5 eat free. Tickets at the door or for presale tickets, call 330-863-0176 (leave message) or 330-704-1844 or from any Great Trail firefighter. Apr. 9 - Farm City Lunch at Church of Christ, 353 Moody Ave., Carrollton. Speaker is John Grafton, state apiary inspector. RSVP by April 2 by calling 888-265-2090 or email at carroll@ofbf.org. Apr. 11 - The Society for Equal Access Independent Living Center satellite office is open the second Thursday of each month at the Carrollton Friendship Center, 100 Kensington Rd., Carrollton from 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. offering information and referrals, peer support, advocacy and independent living skills training. Any senior or individual with a disability desiring to maintain independent living can contact Rick Chappell at 888-213-4452, ext. 215 or 330-340-9472.
Missy Phillips is a Texas-born female who is proud to work with a stinger in her hand By Leigh Ann Rutledge Accent Editor Missy Phillips looks like a typical 30-something mother of three. That is, until you see... ...her boots
...her “guns”
...and her truck. Phillips, 37, is a welding foreman on the pipeline. The selfproclaimed “Pipeliner with Eyeliner” has worked in the oilfields for almost eight years, as a welding helper the first year, and a welder the remaining time. She also did minor welding on a drilling rig. Small in stature, she stands only a few inches over five feet tall, but drives a massive Dodge Ram one-ton black four-door dualie with pink pinstriping and big pink eyelashes. It took her only about one week to build the special welding bed mounted on the truck which holds the Lincoln Arc Welder she uses in the field. Born in Graham, TX, a small town in north central part of the state, she moved to the Fort Worth area at age 17 and continues to call that area “home”. Missy hasn’t spent her entire life in the oilfields. After graduating from high school, she be-
came a licensed cosmetologist and operated a salon for several years. After the birth of her first daughter, she worked for a phone company for a period of time. She also hung drywall, painted and did roofing. One evening, her brother, Randy Howell, and his buddy were in Missy’s garage talking about issues with their welding helpers and their rate of pay. When Missy suggested she could work as a welder’s helper, Randy, who has been a welder for over 21 years, said, “No way!” Randy relented, and Missy worked with him for nine months before Blue Watkins came into her life. Watkins, “an old pipeliner,” worked on the pipelines for 40 years. “Blue took an interest in me and decided he was going to break me out,” said Missy sitting in a chair at a Carrollton bar and grill. To break someone out means to train them to become a certified welder. “Three-and-ahalf months later, I tested and was a certified natural gas pipeline welder,” she added speaking in the familiar Texas twang. She worked full time and would go home and practice welding until late each night preparing for the certification test, determined she was going
make a name for herself in that line of work. She also began buying her own collection of tools-not just any tools, but pink tools-which the men don’t like to borrow, she said with a laugh. Pink is definitely her color. From the pink eyelashes on her truck to the pink fingernail polish, pink hardhat and pink sweatshirt she often wears on the job, to the pink-painted nameplate on the bed of her truck that bears the name “Missy”, she is easy to pick out in a crowd of mostly men in the field. “I have been working in the pipeline business since 2005,” said Missy leaning over the table. “I realized I had to work harder than the men, show up on time and carry my own weight, because I am a female in a customarily men’s environment. Over the last seven years, I have only had a couple problems with my being a female.” Her work ethic has paid off. She is one of the top two most well-known women welders in the United States. She credits her brother with instilling good work ethics and skills. “You can establish a good name for yourself which will follow you around and get you your next job... or not,” she said adding, “because pipelining re-
Missy Phillips (above), supervisor of 18 workers, takes care of an issue at the pipe yard on SR 39 while working on a pipeline site off Satin Rd. in Fox Twp. volves around your name and your contacts.” Missy admits she has always been a leader, not one to follow. “Just like my truck,” she said with a girlish giggle. “It draws attention, but I am proud of who I am and what I do.” She is also tickled “pink” with the effect of being a certified natural gas pipeline welder has had on her. Growing up in Texas, she was always athletic, involved in gymnastics, softball, basketball, but never really had a lot of upper body strength. “I was fixing my hair one day and curled my arm up and noticed the muscle,” she explained. “I was so excited I finally had
some ‘guns’.” In January 2013, she was promoted to a foreman position and supervises 18 workers daily. The group holds daily job safety analysis meetings each morning to plan the day’s work and talk about any hazards they may face. Working a minimum of 10 hours per day, safety is of the utmost importance to the entire crew. “We work in all types of weather,” she said, adding, “y’all get all kinds of weather here. One time it is snowing, then freezing rain, the next day the sun is shining and the next day it can be raining.” See PHILLIPS, C-2
CHURCH Apr. 13 - First Christian Church of Malvern along with First Christian Church of Canton and Lifeline Christian Missions hosting a meal packaging event for people in Haiti. Cost is $30 to package food to feed 1,800. Shifts begin 7:45 a.m., 9:45 a.m. and 11:45 a.m. For questions or to attend, call 330-863-1303 or office@fccmonline.org. Apr. 13 - “More Than a Show,” a Christian rock band from Sidney, OH, will present a concert at Carrollton Bible Chapel, 365 Steubenville Rd. at 6:30 p.m. Two food items requested for Loaves and Fishes, plus love offering. Group will assist the praise team at Sunday worship April 14 at 10:30 a.m. More info call 330 739-4005 or 330 627-7376. SENIOR CENTER Apr. 13 - Breakfast at Minerva Senior Center, 1200 Valley St., Minerva, from 8-10 a.m. Cost is $6 and includes: sausage gravy & biscuits, egg casserole, pancakes, fruit, bev-
Family seeking donations for benefit Silent auction items, monetary donations and food items are being accepted for a Rigatoni Benefit Dinner April 6 for Ronnie Long. Long suffers from acute ischemic neuropathy which has claimed his eyesight. Proceeds from the benefit will help defer medical expenses and help make his home accessible for him to be as independent as he can be. For information on how to make a donation, call Barb Hilton at 330-354-7560. For those wishing to make a monetary donation, they can be mailed to Barb Hilton, 1246 Carnegie Ave., Akron, OH 44314.
Missy Phillips stands in front of her Dodge one-ton dualie complete with a Lincoln Arc Welder on the bed and pink eyelashes above the headlights.
Caregiver appreciation luncheon set for April 18 The annual Carroll County Caregiver Appreciation Luncheon will be held April 18 from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. at Atwood Lake Resort. The Carroll County Caregiver Coalition, made up of several area agencies, is planning the luncheon. Registration and relaxation stations begin at 10:30 a.m. This is a complimentary event for any unpaid family caregiver residing in Carroll County. The person being cared for may live in any county, and may live with you, someone else or reside in a nursing home or assisted living.
Missy Phillips (above) welds a 16-inch pull head at a site off Satin Rd.
Carroll County Library is ‘buzzing with information’
The day will consist of a complementary lunch, entertainment, door prizes, fellowship with other caregivers, and information from area businesses that can help make the caregiving journey a little easier. In addition, one caregiver will be chosen as “Carroll County Caregiver of the Year.” The award is given to the caregiver who best demonstrates what all caregivers go through on a daily basis...the unselfish devotion and dedication it takes to care for another person. See LUNCHEON, C-2
Looking to start a business?
See for yourself what the buzz is all about at the Carroll County District Library. The Carroll County Farm Bureau Promotion and Education Committee set up a display to celebrate “Agriculture Week” which was March 17-23. The Farm Bureau donated a copy of the book “What If There Were No Bees?” by Suzanne Slade. The book is for ages seven and older and talks about the fact that grassland ecosystems can be found on nearly every continent. Countless animals and plants live in them. So what difference could the loss of one animal species make? Follow the chain reaction, and discover the importance of honey bees. The book and display coincide with the annual Farm City Lunch scheduled April 9 at 10:30 a.m. in Church of Christ, 353 Moody Ave., Carrollton. John Grafton, state apiary inspector for the Ohio Department of Agriculture, is the guest speaker. RSVP to 888-265-2090 or email at carroll@ofbf.org by April 2. The luncheon is by free will donation. Vickie Caldwell and Diane Bryan set up the display which will be on view during regular hours through April 12.
Minerva seminar offers info The Goodwill Center for Entrepreneurial Success will offer a free Business Start-Up Essentials workshop April 6 from 10 a.m. to noon at the Minerva Public Library. The seminar offers no-cost assistance to aspiring entrepreneurs who are looking to flesh out business ideas or for guidance on how to get started.
The course will cover a variety of topics including feasibility, planning processes, marketing methods, regulatory requirements and legal issues. The workshop is free. Anyone wishing to attend should call Minerva Public Library at 330868-4101. The library is located at 677 Lynnwood Dr., Minerva.
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BUZZ WORDS. Vickie Caldwell (left) is shown above presenting Ellen Finnicum, director of Carroll County District Library, with a book from the Carroll County Farm Bureau.
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