Mr. Barry Schlosser was raised in Stiles, graduating from Whitehall High School in 1993. He started his cement career at LaFarge in 2000 working on the tire dock. On each shift a tractor trailer load of tires is unloaded and used to fuel the plant kilns, thus removing them from the environment.
Barry was promoted to work as a packer in the packhouse. He recalls, “I worked with Jerome Nederostek and Robert Taniser who helped me learn the job.”
In 2008 he became the packhouse supervisor. He said, “We have a 13-man crew working two shifts each day. We pack bags Monday through Friday and bulk load trucks around the clock. We have a solid group of men who load flat bed trailers in 10-12 minutes and tank trucks in eight minutes. I am on call 24 hours a day.”
Mr. Schlosser enjoys the interaction he has with all the truck drivers getting to know them personally. He stated, “I enjoy knowing where our cement goes and what project it is used on.” LaFarge Cement is shipped throughout the northeast from New York to New Hampshire and as far as Ohio and Virginia.
Mr. Schlosser has had an intensive interest in auto racing since his birth. His father Robert, a Vietnam veteran, was a pit crew member of car “triple 7” at the old Dorney Park race track. He said, “I was in the pits with my father since I was 10 years old, I’m passionate about racing.”
Each Tuesday night he is part of the radio show “Low Down Dirty” from the Willow Street Pub focusing on dirt track racing. He can also be found on Facebook and Blog Talk radio. Barry has been at 150 racing track venues and met racing greats A.J. Foyt, Tony Stewart, Ryan Newman and many others.
One of his greatest memories was touring the Indianapolis Speedway in A.J.’s pickup truck and kissing the bricks. Barry is on the Tim Buckwalter USAC driver pitcrew and attends 50 races annually.
He said, “I enjoy my job at LaFarge, each day is different and there is always a challenge. Our plant manager Lorraine Faccenda has been very inspirational and our employees are all great. I am truly blessed with a wonderful wife Kristin, our family Anthony, Tyler, Courtney and granddaughter Amelia.”
We wish Mr. Schlosser, his family and all our friends at the 120-year old LaFarge plant a safe and prosperous 2019.
