MAKE THE TOOLS THAT
BUILD OUR HISTORY
This family-owned
company believes in
developing people and
promoting from within.
BRUNNER & LAY, INC. has been in business for 135 years and
makes tool accessories used in the construction and mining industries
to break pavement, demolish stone and drill rock. The company’s
products have helped build famous monuments, including Mount
Rushmore and the Crazy Horse Memorial in South Dakota, as well
as engineering marvels like the Hoover Dam and the Chunnel that
connects England to France.
Brunner & Lay is committed to making its products in America and
puts quality first. The family-owned business machines its tools from
high quality steel and heat treats them in ultra modern furnaces to
ensure strength and durability. The Springdale plant offers more than
a dozen kinds of careers including sales, purchasing, engineering,
quality control and management. But it’s the people who can make
the company’s quality products that are needed most.
“We need people who can run CNC machines, forge operators,
electricians and tool room machinists,” says David Bullifent, one of
the plant’s general managers. He says Brunner & Lay helps new
team members learn the skills needed to succeed.
Entry level positions initially pay $11 an hour, but you could start
out earning more if you’ve worked in
manufacturing before or have skills
that could help with your job, such as
operating a CNC machine or forging.
“We’re about developing people
and promoting from within,” Bullifent
explains.
Anthony Cornella knows that from
experience. He started out more than 25
years ago running one of the computer
numerical controlled machines used to
produce the tools. “I had never worked
in manufacturing. An engineer worked
with me and trained me – it took me
about a year to get comfortable with it,”
he says.
That training paid off. Cornella moved
up to a lead position, then production
supervisor before being promoted to
manufacturing manager. Now, he’s
helping others grow their careers.
“We do our best to
put you in a position to
succeed,” he says. “If you are willing to work and do a good job,
you’ll have opportunities to move up.”
Troy Wyatt agrees. He’s the warehouse manager in charge of
organizing products and coordinating outgoing orders. He started at
Brunner & Lay when he was 19.
“I had just graduated and didn’t know what I wanted to do,” he
remembers. “My job was to sharpen tools and load them into the
furnace to be heat treated. I did that for a few years before deciding
to get my degree in history.”
The company’s tuition reimbursement program helped Wyatt pay for
college. He went on to coach baseball in Fort Smith and at Spring-
dale High School, but never cut ties with Brunner & Lay.
“I would work here in the summer when school was out. After a
while, I decided to come back,” Wyatt says. He now manages a
team of about 25 people. “The biggest thing is to develop a good
work ethic, and show people you want to move up,” he says.
Justin Scott used his work ethic to move up
from tool grinder to supervisor of the heat
treating department. He’s had several jobs in
his 21 years at Brunner & Lay, including one
in the engineering department.
“I used the tuition reimbursement program
to start studying drafting and design. Soon
after that, I was offered a job in engineer-
ing,” he explains. Scott’s managers later
approached him about taking on the super-
visor’s role.
“I saw it as a good opportunity to advance.
I tell my team to always have a goal and
keep looking down the road.” Scott says
his next goal is to someday be the assistant
plant manager.
If your goals include a stable career with
opportunities to advance, apply in person
at Brunner & Lay at 1510 N. Old Missouri
Road in Springdale.
SPRINGDALE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
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