Page 51 - Gary's Book - Final Copy 7.9.2017_Active

basic products plant, a $100 million operation. Ed reported to an executive vice-
president of Dow Corning Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Dow
Chemical and Corning Glass. While expressing my dissatisfaction and what I
desired, Ed said you need to talk to Dow Corning. There I would be able to

advance based on personal performance. He contacted the human resources
department (HR), and they arranged interviews for me for the next two days. After
discussions with several sales and marketing vice-presidents, they promised to stay
in touch and said they would contact me later. From August 1964 until January
1965, HR either called me or sent a letter updating me as to the status of several
positions. In January 1965, I received an offer for a salaried position; I accepted

and began work on February 15, 1965.

Of all the companies I have been associated with, Dow Corning truly is an
employee concerned organization. The company model is “Life is Fragile.” Every
meeting conducted had safety issues as the first item on the agenda. If anyone was
injured in manufacturing or an office worker fell or a salesman was in a car
accident, it had to be identified, and corrective action had to be taken immediately.
Dr. Bill Goggin, the chairman, issued a directive stating that if any employee were

hurt or injured while doing his duties and contributory negligence was involved,
like being a salesman and not wearing a seat belt, he would be released; it did not
matter if he was a vice-president or a director. Employees took safety seriously.
Dr. Goggin felt the company was to take care of its number one asset – its
employees. We could always develop another product or generate an additional

dollar of revenue, but we could never replace a life.

Dow Corning proved to me, personally, that its employees were most valued. I
remember when I returned from Hong Kong and lived in the Chicago area where I
was the Midwest sales manager for the fabricated rubber division, we had a major
house burglary. At the time, we were away in Quincy, Illinois, visiting Sue’s

father, who had a serious illness.

The robbers were professionals that stole our expensive oriental rug, silverware,
cameras and jewelry. They stopped our clocks, cut our telephone wires, went up in
the basement ceiling using our own butcher knives, scuffled through our canceled
checks, and sifted through our sugar and flour containers in the kitchen. They were

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