Roy McClinton, HUESKER, Inc. in business since 1861 and has been based in Charlotte, North Carolina, since 1991. We are active in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Central America. Irrigation Leader: How has the COVID‑19 pandemic affected your operations? Roy McClinton: COVID‑19 has affected many industries, and manufacturing is not immune. Infrastructure, construction, and agriculture are driving forces behind economic growth and provide essential services to the nation. This means that our production is more important now than ever. Fortunately, HUESKER has always had a policy of putting the safety and health of our employees first, so we were well equipped to effectively respond to the situation. Irrigation Leader: What are some things that you’ve done to keep your customers and employees safe?
A HUESKER employee uses a heat gun to shrink wrap a product.
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Irrigation Leader: Please tell us about yourself and about HUESKER. Roy McClinton: I am the technical sales director of HUESKER in North America. I’ve been with HUESKER for 22 years. I started my career with HUESKER handling subbase reinforcement and HaTelit, our asphalt paving products. In 2004, I moved to our geocomposite division, and in 2019, I was promoted to my current position. HUESKER is a family-owned company that has been
34 | IRRIGATION LEADER | JUNE 2020 - COVID-19 SPECIAL ISSUE
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PHOTOS COURTESY OF HUESKER.
he HUESKER Group is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of geosynthetics and agricultural and industrial textiles. Its products and services provide solutions for projects in earthworks and foundations, roads and pavements, environmental engineering, hydraulic engineering, industry, and agriculture. In this interview, Roy McClinton, the technical sales director of HUESKER, tells Irrigation Leader about the changes that have been implemented in the company’s operations to ensure that it can continue to provide its vital services.
Roy McClinton: We are actively monitoring the temperature of all employees before their shifts begin. Anyone with a fever is not allowed to clock in and is required to remain home until they recover. Each week, the company is providing all employees with promotional-size bottles of hand sanitizer that we had on hand for use at trade shows. In addition, all employees are provided with face masks to use both on and off the job. Extra paid sick time are being provided for all employees to ensure that they can care for their children or family members without suffering financially. We are keeping departments separated from one another as much as possible. Within departments, employees are required to keep 6 feet of distance from each other unless absolutely necessary. Shifts are staggered to ensure that if any employee is infected, exposure is limited to their shift only. Weekly
