The Definition of Teamwork

A young man at the ripe age of 26 walks into the laboratories at Franklin International reporting for his very first day as a part-time lab technician. Larry Owen was this man. He is currently the Senior Vice President of the Franklin Adhesives & Polymers division at Franklin International. His story is anything, but average. It is full of heart, dedication, teamwork, challenges and rewards.

The public might recognize his famous face from his years of playing major league baseball as a catcher for the Atlanta Braves and the Kansas City Royals. To the average Franklin employee, his face is recognizable for a much different set of achievements.

Starting out as a part-time lab technician for eight years, his days were full of grueling and sometimes tedious tasks. After his baseball career came to a close, Larry was offered a full-time position as a sales representative. He quickly excelled and was promoted to the sales manager after six months. He then moved up to vice president of sales and held that position for several years. He then ventured into a new position, Business Unit Director, which was instrumental in his career.

This position not only led Larry to achieving his current position of Senior Vice President, but it was quintessential in terms of personal growth and development. Larry stated that this position in particular was the most challenging and allowed him to explore and discover new areas of the business. One of the tasks that was requested of Larry during this time was to implement the opening of Franklin International’s China facility. This project was overly daunting and as modest as Larry might be, he was essential in seeing the project into fruition.

According to Larry, every position he ever held at Franklin International was rewarding. He learned everything he knows from working with the people, the customers, suppliers and employees. “The beautiful part about looking back at my career is not thinking what I have done, but what they have done for me. I never want to look back at what I have accomplished because the truth is, it is what we have accomplished together.”

Larry is famous in the halls of Franklin, but not from his star studded beginning. He is famous for his work ethic, his dedication and his value of teamwork. He takes a lot of pride in developing his team and is constantly pondering how do WE succeed for Franklin. There is no “I” in team, but most certainly there is no “I” in Larry.