The 2002 Annual Meeting marked the first year that a recipient was selected
to receive the Max Moore award. Patricia Moore, Max's widow, and Doug King
of King Steel, presented the "Max Moore Entrepreneurial Spirit" award to
David W. Libla, President of Mid Continent Nail Corporation.
Max Moore was tragically killed in a plane crash in 2000. He was an
owner and the President of Oklahoma Steel and Wire and its affiliated companies,
Southwestern Steel & Wire and Iowa Steel and Wire. He was a dedicated
and enthusiastic leader, who was elected to the AWPA Board of Directors
in 1990 and served in many leadership capacities throughout his tenure
with the association. His enthusiasm for his business, family, employees
and the community were evident in his daily life.
An anonymous donation was given to commemorate Max and the verve with
which he lived his life. AWPA member companies and individuals also made
contributions to the Max Moore fund in 2001. Max's family, in describing
Max and his lifestyle, provided the criteria by which the recipient was
selected to receive this distinguished honor: Entrepreneurial Spirit; Leadership;
and Community Service.
Entrepreneurial Spirit - David Libla is a southeast Missouri entrepreneur
who started his career selling used cars and now heads Libla Industries,
Inc., the parent company of Mid Continent Nail Corporation.
David founded Libla Industries in 1973 with a small amount of money
and a lot of determination. He opened a pallet manufacturing plant by 1976,
and within a few short years, Libla Industries had become one of the largest
hardwood pallet manufacturers in the country. Not content with the quality
of bulk nails, David launched Mid Continent Nail (MCN) Corporation in 1987.
Rumor has it that the idea for MCN developed as a result of a smart remark
made by his nail salesman who couldn't satisfy David's requirements.
In 1990 he purchased the Pennbox Corporation of Warminister, PA, and
formed First National Pallet Rental. In 1995, he established a second nail
facility in Virginia. He added wire coil collated pallet nails and began
drawing his own wire. A second wire mill was added in 1999 and a third
in 2001. David recently added the Magnum® Pro line for the construction
industry, which required a 64,000 sq. ft. expansion of the plant in Missouri.
In 1991 David was nominated for, and won, both the Missouri and US Region
VIII Small Business Administration's Business Person of the Year awards.
Leadership - Like most entrepreneurs, David has begun his businesses
with the "roll up your shirt sleeves and get your hands dirty" philosophy.
He knows the manufacturing process as well as his plant employees do. Ultimately,
though, his management staff is directly responsible for the day-to-day
operations of the business. David sees his role as the coach of a team,
and is responsible for diagramming the course that the business will follow,
assigning specific plays for his management team. Since he started "out
on the floor of the business," he believes that is the best place to find
your management and promotes from within whenever possible. He knows that
without a team, a coach cannot reach the championship, and his team knows
that they can trust David to get them there.
Community Service - Because of the relationship David has with his employees,
he has developed employee programs such as monthly company newsletter;
monthly and quarterly perfect attendance bonuses; annual perfect attendance
awards; safety awards; production bonuses; employee of the year award and
bonuses for each plant; and a matching 401(k), medical insurance and vacation
package.
David is a member of the First Baptist Church, the Poplar Bluff Chamber
of Commerce, the Missouri Forest Products Association, the Virginia Forestry
Association, the National Wooden Pallet & Container Association, and
the American Wire Producers Association. He supports the MDA, the St. Jude's
Children's Research Hospital, and Poplar Bluff Habitat for Humanity. He
is a certified foster parent.
We also would like to congratulate the other nominees:
John T. Johnson, Jr. - Mid-South Wire Company
John Martin III - Mar-Mac Wire Inc.
John S. Mueller - Laidlaw Corporation
Charles Salanski - Wire Rope Corporation of America, Inc.
Kent Taubensee - Taubensee Steel & Wire
Howard O. Woltz, Jr. - Insteel Industries, Inc.
AWPA thanks the following individuals for serving on the 2002 Selection
Committee:
Pat Moore, President, Southwestern Steel & Wire
Cheryl Coelho, Vice President Product Management, ECD, Inc.
Bob Moffitt, Vice President Purchasing, Davis Wire Corp.
Doug King, President, American Rod Consumers
Bill Groom, Director of Sales, Rocky Mountain Steel Mills
Kimberly Korbel, Executive Director, AWPA
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American Wire Producers Association
801 North Fairfax Street, Suite 211
Alexandria, VA 22314-1757
Tel (703) 299-4434 | Fax (703) 299-9233 | E-mail info@awpa.org | Web: www.awpa.org
