Mr. Calvin Stocker was reared in Easton, graduating from Easton High School in 1971. One of his favorite teachers was Mr. Lewis, a good teacher and a good guy. Calvin would be employed at Ingersoll Rand as a drill press operator, earning $3.85 an hour; his father also worked at the plant.
In 1987 Mr. Stocker purchased the Wind Gap Hardware store, as an entrepreneur he said, “I learned the business and made a good living, Essroc and Hercules, now Buzzi Unicem, were good customers.”
In 2001 he walked into the Buzzi purchasing department delivering an order. Mr. Straub, the purchasing manager, suggested he apply for the vacant “store room” position. Calvin filled out the application and was hired the next day.
Today he is the manager. He said, “I am assisted by Pat Seitz and Mike Knight, both fine men. Our larger inventory includes more than 10,000 items valued at over $6 million. We deal with hundreds of suppliers. We want to have the necessary parts so the plant can operate safely and efficiently.”
Mr. Stocker recalls former plant manager Richard Zimmel and David Fritzinger sharing their experiences with him. The department was transformed from a card to computerized system. Mr. Stocker enhanced his skills by taking computer courses at Northampton Community College.
Reflecting on his job, he said, “I enjoy my job, each day is different. We supply parts when needed to every department in the plant. The inventory is constantly updated and must be accurate.”
Mr. Stocker is a personal and friendly gentleman who is a valuable and dedicated cement worker. He has been married to the former Kay Davies for 43 years and they are very proud of daughter Megan and son Michael, and grandchildren Sean and Sidney.
Calvin enjoys skiing; he has been on the slopes of Blue Mountain for 30 years and he is “pretty good.” The Stockers reside in Bushkill Township.
We wish Mr. Stocker and all our friends at Buzzi Unicem in Stockertown continued success at their century-old plant.
