Charleston Aluminum | 11
ton Aluminum & Stainless, based in Ohio. :
This company at the time was a new venture
into the metals industry for the private equi-
ty owners, and after just over18 months with
them Blakeney left and “immediately came
down here” to join Charleston, and has not
looked back since.
CLOSE RELATIONSHIPS
Currently, Charleston Aluminum employs
between 65 and 70 people. Blakeney de-
scribes the working relationship with em-
ployees as extremely close. “We’re out there
constantly interacting with the staff, working
alongside them. I personally walk around at
least once or twice a day and talk to the peo-
ple in the warehouses and each department.”
“
Youfind a lotmore information about
what’s going on if you’re out there with the
people, rather than stuck in your office at a
distance,” he adds.
At any time, the company has five or
six drivers on the book to man their semi-
trucks. Nationally, finding drivers has proven