A Wonderful Life
KARNS CITY — Vic Rozic is a man who has taken a few chances with his career and ended up one of those lucky individuals who can proclaim that life is good.
At 60, Rozic is looking forward to at least five more years working for Calumet Specialty Product Partners, Penreco plant, just north of Karns City High School.
Rozic's title is health, safety and environmental manager, but he deals with all sorts of situations in the plant, which produces white petroleum products that are used in everything from foods to cosmetics to industrial processes.
His office, with a swivel desk chair and a surrounding desk, and a window overlooking the plant, is in the company's administration building.
But it's not where Rozic started his career, nor does he spend a lot of time there. Instead he's on the production floor, talking to workers and managers, finding out what they need help with and making sure safety practices are in use.
After graduating from Butler High School in 1969, Rozic got a job at Pullman Standard, working there nine years on the production line, when the company announced a large layoff.
“I thought to myself, ‘do I stick around and go through this again later on?' I figured, there has to be something better,” he said.
So Rozic attended the Atlantic Airline School in Connecticut, but just as he completed his schooling, the airline industry tanked, and he returned to Pullman.
“After spending more time laid off than working, I got a job here (Calumet). In 1978, I had four W-2s,” he said.
Rozic spent about 15 years doing shift work at the Karns City plant when he realized he wasn't able to spend as much time as he would like with his then young son.
In 1976, Rozic married Carolyn Bell, who worked at Armco, now AK Steel. The couple has one son, Tim, now 31, who is an engineer for General Electric.
In an attempt to work more regular hours, Rozic applied for and got a safety training position in the company, teaching safety policies and procedures to other workers.
“My first classes were so bad. I was shy in front of a crowd, and I had these overhead slides, and I'd read the slides to the groups. It was bad,” he said.
But soon Rozic learned how to present in front of a group. Taking classes at Butler County Community College from the National Safety Council, as well as the college's own psychology classes, he soon found his feet before an audience.
“Psychology helped a lot because it helped me learn about people and how to teach things to adults,” he said.
Being in front of a crowd also taught him that he could do things in the community, such as serving on the Clay Township Planning Commission for four years. He lives in the township.
“Both jobs taught me about dealing with the public and how to address people's problems and help them get them solved,” Rozic said.Rozic has moved on to become a United Way of Butler County volunteer, a graduate of Leadership Butler County, a board member for the Butler County Children's Center and a member of the Butler County Chamber of Commerce.And while spending his hours away from work as a community volunteer, Rozic has had the support of his employers.“Calumet Penreco has always been involved in the community, and I have been lucky to have managers who not only support my efforts, but encouraged my volunteering,” he said.Working hard is something Rozic learned growing up on his family's farm in Connoquenessing Township. His parents, Steve and Margaret Rozic, expected each of their 10 children to pull their weight on the farm.“But that was a great lesson to learn, that we all have jobs to do, responsibilities,” he said. “The thing is, we worked hard, but we had a lot of fun doing it and being together as a family.”Old habits are hard to break, and so after 34 years on the job, Rozic still comes into work between 5 and 5:30 a.m., using the quiet time to get paper work done and other tasks that are often disrupted when other workers show up and the phones start ringing.He doesn't leave until 3 or 4 p.m.“When my son got his job, I told him to make sure to get out and do something for the community you live in, see where people live, what they do and how they get along, and then jump in and do something to make it better,” Rozic said.“I have a wonderful life, and its important that people pay attention to what is important, their families and friends and co-workers,” he said.“Sometimes people forget that, but I just am so blessed and want to make sure others are too.”
<B>ROZIC FILE</B><B>Name: </B>Vic Rozic<B>Address</B>: Clay Township<B>Employment</B>: Manager of health, safety and environment at Calumet Specialty Products Partners, Penreco plant in Karns City<B>Family</B>: Wife, Carolyn Bell Rozic; son, Tim, and his wife, Rebecca.‘I have a wonderful life, and it’s important that people pay attention to what is important: their families and friends and co-workers.’<B>LIFE LESSONS</B>Vic Rozic, manager of health, safety and environment at Calumet Specialty Products Partners, Penreco plant in Karns City, offers these ideas to improve the quality of life in Butler County:• In my opinion one of the best ways to improve the quality of life in the Butler County area would be to create meaningful manufacturing jobs and better advertise those that are available for our youth, so that this talent is not forced to leave the area in search of employment.• Encourage business and industry to sponsor the events that are available now such as Butler’s Ring in the Arts, the Jeep Festival, the Regatta at Lake Arthur, to further promote them and help these events to grow.• Communicate and encourage all county residents to turn in suspected drug activity in their neighborhoods to eliminate trafficking in our community.• Butler County does have a lot to offer to improve the quality of life. Participating and attending the available events and volunteering will help to promote them and attract new events.<B>ON THE JOB</B><B>Name: </B>Calumet Specialty Products Partners-Penreco in Karns City<B>Address</B>: Karns City<B>Top official</B>: Tim Barnhart<B>Employees</B>: 130<B>What it makes</B>: Calumet-Penreco is a manufacturer of white mineral oils, specialty aliphatic solvents, petrolatums, hydrocarbon gels and natural sulfonates, plus compounded and specialty products such as cable fillers, refrigeration oils and compressor lubricants.<B>Telephone</B>: 800-245-3952 or 724-756-0110<B>Website</B>: www.calumetspecialty.com<B>Mission</B>: “Calumet strives to satisfy our customers’ needs with quality products that are shipped or delivered on time. We are also committed to continually improving the effectiveness of our quality system to ensure we meet the needs and requirements of our company, industry, and customers.”<B>BUSINESS INSIGHT</B>Vic Rozic, manager of health, safety and environment at Calumet Specialty Products Partners, Penreco plant in Karns City, offers these tips to being successful in business:• Try to gain an understanding of the various jobs that are involved in producing the end product. This includes the employee involved in accepting an order, the employees producing/manufacturing the product, the employee responsible for shipping the product and everyone else in between.• Understand that with the technology that is available today the thoughts of a 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. position are a dream. Technology has made connection to the workplace a 24/7 possibility.• Follow the most basic business principles such as leading by example. If you are unwilling or unable to follow established workplace rules or policies, don’t expect others to do so.• Enjoy what you do. If at some point in the work day you can’t laugh or joke with your co-workers, it’s time to find a new career.n Be the mentor. Share what you know and how you have gained your knowledge with others especially those who may replace you.• Quote: “The graveyards are full of indispensable men.” Former French leader Charles de Gaulle.
