Pantex Proud: Karla Rich
Thousands of dedicated Pantex citizens like Karla Rich work every day to support the Pantex mission. Take three minutes to learn about who she is, what she does, and why she is proud to be a Pantexan.
Mission success at Pantex “takes a village” according to Pantexan Karla Rich. She is proud to be part of the plant’s community for the past 21 years and takes pride in the work she contributes in the Special Tooling Program.
Rich’s duties include a multitude of special tooling tasks from scheduling work; maintaining inventory, inspection, and repairs; disposing of obsolete products; managing the needs for line operations; and coordinating delivery and movement of special tools. She attributes her success to the personnel that work with her on a daily basis.
“The pride of the people who work at Pantex is one thing you can always count on,” Rich said. “Pride in not only the way we provide the best quality product to the customer but how we support one another and the community.”
Overcoming challenges and obstacles head-on gives Rich a great sense of accomplishment. Providing direct support to line operations is how Rich feels she contributes to the mission.
“It takes strategic thinking and problem-solving to provide all of the special tooling used by Weapons Operations,” she said. “As long as they have the tooling they need, when they need it, the line is working to meet the mission.”
What advice do you offer someone who has made a mistake in his or her job? How should they be accountable for that issue?
Everyone makes mistakes and owning those mistakes is what makes you grow, not only as a person, but in your role at Pantex. Although it may be painful, owning a mistake may help you learn new skills, such as problem-solving or communication. I would encourage everyone to communicate mistakes with their management so they can solve those mistakes together.
What has surprised you the most since joining Pantex?
The growth. The mission has grown exponentially since I started 21 years ago and thus so has the workforce.
Who in your life has inspired you the most and why?
My dad—he worked for over 30 years with a disability and it never stopped him. He worked for the railroad in a dangerous position, but he never asked for special treatment. The culture back then led him to believe that his disability would force his retirement, so he found ways to overcome his disability. He was a pillar of strength for our family and passed on an exceptional work ethic to my siblings and me.
What is one thing your coworkers would be surprised to know about you?
Prior to Pantex I worked for a small family-owned business and I not only did financial analysis but I did in-person repo work.