CBS 21 Community

Post 07/16/09 A

 

Hi TAD employees,

 

My, how things have changed!!!!! The following can be viewed online at: http://cache.zoominfo.com/CachedPage/?archive_id=0&page_id=2043746115&page_url=%2f%2fwww.cityofhbg.com%2fpressReleases%2f20052801_turbineairfoil.html&page_last_updated=12%2f7%2f2008+8%3a02%3a27+AM&firstName=John&lastName=Walton

 

NEWS INFORMATION FROM

 

THE OFFICE OF MAYOR STEPHEN R. REED
City of Harrisburg
King City Government Center
Harrisburg, PA 17101-1678
Telephone: 717.255.3040

 

FOR IMMEDIATE USE
January 28 2005

TURBINE AIRFOIL DESIGNS INC. TAKES OVER FORMER CHROMALLOY AMERICAN MANUFACTURING PLANT IN HARRISBURG Mayor Stephen R. Reed and officials from Turbine Airfoil Designs Inc. and its parent company of the Walton Johnson Group today Announced the company’s recent purchase of the Chromalloy American Manufacturing plant at 1400 N. Cameron Street. The plant will operate as Turbine Airfoil Designs Inc. and employs more than 100 highly-skilled workers who manufacture engine components for the aerospace, airplane, land and marine turbine industries. The Mayor was joined at today’s announcement and ribbon cutting ceremony by John Walton, CEO of the Walton Johnson Group, a minority-owned merchant banking firm based in Dallas, Texas, and Richard Buckner, President of Turbine Airfoil Designs Inc.. Buckner will maintain his office in Harrisburg at the newly acquired plant. Reed said the 300,000 sq. ft. manufacturing plant was originally built by the U.S. Government in the early 1940’s and operated by the Harrisburg Steel Corporation for airplane engine manufacturing. At the conclusion of World War II The site was sold to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, who in turn leased it to the Thompson Products Company during the Korean War. Thompson was a principal producer of engine parts and assemblies for jet-propelled aircraft used by the U.S. Armed Forces and at its height in the mid-1950’s employed more than 2800 workers. The Mayor said the plant was later sold to TRW Corporation, who sold it to Chromalloy after a devastating nine-alarm fire in February, 1986 that remains the largest fire of the 20th Century in Harrisburg. Major outsourcing of work after Chromalloy’s takeover led to the layoffs of hundreds employees at the plant in the 1990’s. “The Turbine Airfoil Designs plant has been an integral part of Harrisburg’s manufacturing and businesses bases,” said Mayor Reed. “It is also an important part of our nation’s military support industry. The employees at this plant are some of the best trained and highly-skilled workers in the nation. We are delighted with the company’s decision to continue their good work here. This plant and its workers have served America well during their more than half-century of operations here, a circumstance we hope will continue into the 22nd Century and beyond.” Walton Johnson Group President John Walton said “they were delighted with the purchase of the plant and hope to significantly expand its business in the years to come. The employees of this plant are highly skilled and extremely dedicated, as evidenced by one such worker who has been at this plant since 1952. This is a company that has significant potential for future growth, and we think Harrisburg is a good place for that growth to occur.” New Turbine Airfoil Designs, Inc. President Richard Buckner echoed Walton’s assessment, noting that “the company is one of the few such manufacturing facilities in the world that specializes in turbine airfoil design and production, and the advent of even greater growth in the airline, aerospace and related advanced technology industries means there is a very bright future for this plant. We are thrilled to be in Harrisburg and salute the outstanding workforce that we were so fortunate to inherit. We hope they’ll be joined by many more new employees in the years to come.” Reed said the plant has been an industry leader for many years in such patented special processes as surface coating, brazing, heat treating and more that have been developed or invented at the plant. Despite its downsizing over the years it is today still considered one of the finest jet engine component production facilities in the world. The Walton Johnson Group is a minority-owned diversified holding company based in Dallas, Texas, with holdings in investment banking, asset management, real estate and merchant banking. The Walton Johnson Group is jointly owned by John Walton and William G. Mays, owner of the Mays Chemical Company in Indianapolis, Indiana

More Press Releases…

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When Mayor Stephen Reed said the following: “The Turbine Airfoil Designs plant has been an integral part of Harrisburg’s manufacturing and businesses bases. It is also an important part of our nation’s military support industry. The employees at this plant are some of the best trained and highly-skilled workers in the nation. We are delighted with the company’s decision to continue their good work here. This plant and its workers have served America well during their more than half-century of operations here, a circumstance we hope will continue into the 22nd Century and beyond.” (1) Was Mayor Reed duped by John Walton into believing that Walton intended to be a productive business owner? (2) Based on the current state of affairs at TAD, does Mayor Reed feel like a fool for making these statements? (3) Was Mayor Reed disillusioned because nobody bothered to research Walton’s previous history of ruining businesses? (4) Does Mayor Reed plan to defend the citizens of Harrisburg by taking action against Walton for scamming those in city government and for defrauding the city of Harrisburg out of tax money when they file for bankruptcy on October 23, 2009?

 

As for John Walton, he said: “they were delighted with the purchase of the plant and hope to significantly expand its business in the years to come. The employees of this plant are highly skilled and extremely dedicated, as evidenced by one such worker who has been at this plant since 1952. This is a company that has significant potential for future growth, and we think Harrisburg is a good place for that growth to occur.” THIS STATEMENT PROVES THAT JOHN WALTON IS A LIAR!!!!!

 

ETD

 

Post 07/16/09 B

 

Hi again TAD employees,

 

It is hard to believe, given what is currently going on at TAD, that this article appeared ONLY ONE YEAR AGO (which can be viewed online at: http://www.pennlive.com/news/patriotnews/index.ssf?/base/news/12148737115670.xml&coll=1).

 

McCain promises aid to Harrisburg aircraft parts maker

 

Tuesday, July 01, 2008

BY BRETT LIEBERMAN

Of Our Washington Bureau

 

Central Pennsylvania was back in the spotlight of the presidential race Monday, with Republican candidate John McCain making his first visit to an area that could be critical to his campaign.

Pennsylvania is considered a key state in the race, and political analysts say McCain must do well in central Pennsylvania to have any hope of carrying the state.

With polls showing the economy as the top issue in the race, the Arizona senator toured Turbine Airfoil Designs, a Harrisburg aircraft parts manufacturer.

"This epitomizes both the opportunities and challenges for the manufacturing jobs here in the United States of America and here in Pennsylvania," McCain said.

McCain didn't elaborate on how his policies could help the plant. But his campaign focused attention on a minority-owned company, a fact that wasn't lost on its owner.

John Walton, the CEO and owner of the parent company, Dallas-based Walton Johnson Group, said the campaign stop was a sound strategic move by McCain's campaign.

"You have a minority political candidate, but you have lots of minority businessmen in this country that have been out there fighting the fight for eons and eons and trying to create opportunities and being visible in communities," said Walton, who is black.

Walton would not say whether he supports McCain or Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, but McCain is "the kind of character I like."

Walton said he hasn't met Obama.

Walton and Ben Frazier, Turbine Airfoil's president, led the senator and his wife, Cindy McCain, on what Frazier described as a 20-minute "womb-to-tomb" tour of the Cameron Street plant.

Turbine Airfoil manufactures parts used in military and commercial aircraft engines and power generation turbines.

Frazier showed McCain a part that the company manufactured for the A-4 Skyhawk jets that the former Navy pilot used to fly.

The company used to lose what its officials estimated was "a couple hundred thousand bucks" a month. Despite recent layoffs, last year was profitable.

 

The interesting thing about this article is in the next to last paragraph which states: “The company used to lose what its officials estimated was ‘a couple hundred thousand bucks’ a month. Despite recent layoffs, last year was profitable.” Let me repeat that! Just last year, TAD claimed that despite losing money and having to layoff workers, … LAST YEAR (2007) WAS PROFITABLE!!!!!

 

Was TAD management deliberately lying about their profits in this story like they typically do? If not, is TAD upper management so good at embezzling, misappropriating funds, laundering money, and siphoning off profits that they effectively destroyed the business in less than two years? (Although we know they were impoverishing the business and depleting assets as soon as scumbag John Walton took over the company.) If what they claim is true, what happened to all of the “profits” from 2007 since those proceeds never went to upgrades or additional items to improve productivity?  Is that fraud of a CEO Anne Richie so good at “hiding” assets and concealing the “money trail” that nowadays it is difficult for the District Attorney or the PA Attorney General to track those missing funds? If 2007 was profitable, why, as of just October 9, 2008—less than one year since they claimed profitability and only three months since this story was published—did the company begin committing criminal theft by taking the funds withdrawn from employee’s pay checks as there own?

 

Why? Why? Why?

 

Because those in TAD upper management—John Walton, Anne Richie, Benjamin Frazier, Thomas Gardner, and Chuck Washington—are callous, inhumane, and greedy with no regard for the health, welfare, and stability of TAD employees or the local community.  

 

"I'd like to share a revelation that I've had during my time here. It came to me when I tried to classify [TAD upper management]. I've realized that [they] are not actually [legitimate business people]. Every [legitimate business person] on this planet instinctively develops a natural equilibrium with the surrounding environment. But [those in TAD upper management] do not. [They acquire a business] and [deplete assets] and [deplete assets] until every [business] resource is consumed and the only way [they] can survive is to spread to another area. There is another organism on this planet that follows the same pattern. Do you know what that is? A virus. [Those in TAD upper management] are a disease, a cancer of this planet. [They] are a plague and we [better find] the cure." The Matrix, 1999, the Wachowski brothers

 

ETD

That spot with Rich Hoy's widow was very hard to take......dam(n) this company.

IN CASE ANYONE MISSED THIS VERY SAD CLIP, IT CAN BE VIEWED AT THE FOLLOWING LINK.

http://www.whptv.com/mediacenter/local.aspx?videoId=141224@whp.dayport.com&navCatId=6166

I cried for his wife and his family, I also remembered how much I enjoyed Rich's company as a fellow employee and a friend. His sence of  humor and his heart of gold, I will miss him most of all his compassion for his fellow worker. To the Hoy family I can only hope and pray that you will take what he has taught you in life and carry it with ya's and share it with your children. God bless ya's and strenghten ya's in your time of need, may T.A.D get the punished to the fullest extent of the law for the havoc they created.

I REALLY WONDER WHEN BEN WILL GET HIS SORRY ASS OUT OF THERE AND DO HIS JAIL TIME ?? HE IS SUCH A WONDERFUL GUY ...YEA….DAH…..KISS MY ASS ...YOU HAVE TO BE A FOOL OR BLIND TO BELIEVE THAT...AND I KNOW THERE ARE THOSE THAT ARE THAT SIMPLE AND ASSINE TO BE FOOLED BY HIS BULLSHIT! DID YOU NOT SEE THE TRUTH WITH THE NEWS 21 NEWS CLIPS….HE IS A CROOK … LOOKING FOR JOHN WALTONS NEXT SCHEME TO STEAL MORE MONEY, GRANTS ETC. AT THE PLIGHT OF OTHER HARD WORKING AMERICAN PEOPLE, AT THE NEXT BUSINESS HE BUYS AND RUNS INTO THE GROUND.

MAY BEN FRAZIER, JOHN WALTON, AND TOM GARDNER ROT IN HELL FOR THEIR DEEDS IN RUNNING THIS COMPANY INTO THE GROUND AND SCREWING ALL OF ITS DEVOTED EMPLOYEE’S!!!!

I PRAY TO GOD YOU ALL REAP WHAT YOU SOW !!!!!!!!!

Well I just recieved a copy of a letter from Domestic relations stating that if they are not paid by the 31st then someone will be going to jail. That someone will not be me. Mr. Ben. Hello

I know you read these!!! come out, come out where ever you are. You took the money out of my check on 6/12/2009 but have still not paid my children the money owed to them. So not only do these sorry asses steal from us, our venders, costomers, etc... but they also steal from a 12 and 6 yr old. How pathetic!!!!

 I saw the news the other night with Hoy. I feel so badly for his family. He was a good man.

 

 Did anyone happen to catch the part about John Walton being the ceo of the company? He is the owner is he not? Oh I get it, sense the *** storm started he demoted himself bc he felt so badly for us/////

Murdock,

     I believe you can take your paystubs down to Domestics and prove to them it was taken out, and it will go back on TAD. Those things that call themselves humans should not even be able to breathe the same air we do, but scum like that always get away with it some how.I just hope you didn't get paid by cash, because that would be hard to prove then.Because HELL they cann't be HONEST now so they won't be then either, well good luck.Believe me their day is coming and real soon,they THINK they screwed my mom out of alot,well the last laugh will be on them, because i am my father in and out and I will not give up till she gets that money of my fathers that is owed to her.

To imagine these rotten SOBS still are allowed to remain in business is beyond belief. How can the state of PA allow this kinda down right disrepect of the law and abuse of its people to continue operate in this state. Yet the State workers are not getting paid and every bank and branch of goverment is there stating they wanna help them, but T.A.D employees get   finanicially raped and emotionally terrorized.  Where is all our help from the goverment when we need them? What happen to the rights of workers? What the hell is our elected officials done to protect us from these preditors? Thanks News21 and Samica Knight for stepping up to the plate and asking the questions that no one seems to wanna answer. If it wasnt for these people no one would know about our plight. Corporations have all kinda laws protecting them, American Workers got no protection. If you or I would pull half the stuff these crooks are doing , we would be in jail or on death row. I dont know you personally Nikki, but I was lucky enough to have known your father. As for what these leaches of society have done, The Electic Chair is what they deserve. I hope you and your family never give up your fight to get what is rightfully owed to you and that Walton and his cronies end up in jail.

EVERY DOG HAS THEIR DAY...AND THESE SOBS ,,,,, WILL GET THEIRS ONE WAY OR THE OTHER !!! SOONER  ,,, I HOPE, THEN LATER !!!!!

Hi everyone, it's been a while since I've posted.  Mrs. Hoy's story is heartbreaking to say the least.  Does anybody know what's going on with the partial payments?  My dad is still owed one day from back in June.  TAD called him in to work one day this week.  He hasn't worked in 6 weeks and now they want him to do what, work for free?  He called the union rep to see what rate he'll be paid [ha ha].  One of my dad's friends is owed 9 days from June.  This is just ridiculous.  Has anyone heard what the status is of the follow-up piece Samica Knight is doing on the partial payment deal?  She mentioned it at the end of Mrs. Hoy's segment.  Also, my mom wants to know if TAD is declaring bankruptcy.  Since my parents don't have a computer, I'm their link to all of you on this message board and I would greatly appreciate hearing from you!  Thanks!

There was another segment on TAD'S corruption and crooked business practices last night !! Thank You Samica and crew for not forgetting about us, as it seems all others have !!!!!

Hi all,

Just wondering how everyone is doing and how you all are coping with the unpaid medical bills? Last i heard the Union lawyer says TAD backed out of its deal with them and that we could negotiate are own price reductions with the providers. How many people are still owed pay check from 2 months ago? Has anyone heard anything from Labor Relations on this issue?

unreal. heard there was a meeting for those that are still owed back pay? how did that go? collection letters are starting to come in for unpaid med bills. have not heard crap from any of the state agencies either. it is simply amazing that when the state workers were not getting paid, that is all you heard about on the news and papers. it seems like we were overshadowed by that, and now are mostly forgot about. still:

owed backpay

owed medical bills

owed vacation time

what will it take? no wonder you hear about people going and shooting up workplaces, schools, malls etc. and then people say,"we didnt see this coming" or "how could we have prevented this?" legal justice is really going down the crapper. it seems only vigilante justice is what gets people's attention...

Hi Jilted,

Just an update,

Samica and the the News 21 crew did another segment on the meetings that TAD had held today.

From what I see, it's just more stall tactics and lies, so they can stay open, just long enough to keep the grant money and run. 

Its Ben Frasier and Anne Ritchie's self serving attemps to appease people until they can declare bankruptcy for John Walton, then get outta Harrisburg, owing everyone and run with the money.

Making an ass outta Harrisburg,  The DA and all Goverment entities that were alerted to this corruption by TAD employee's 10 months ago.