Floyd Whetzel

Floyd Whetzel – 50 years with W.B. Hopke Company and Still Going Strong

It’s not often that an employer has the opportunity to thank an employee for 50 years of dedication and service. W.B. Hopke is honored to acknowledge an exemplary employee and share his story with our employees, clients and vendors. We are grateful for our shop superintendent, Floyd Whetzel.

At 80 years old, Floyd continues to impress all those employed at W.B. Hopke. To say we are lucky to have him is an understatement. We felt that on his 80th birthday, it was time to tell his story. We hope that in doing so, it will inspire all our employees to aim higher, to keep a positive attitude and to take as much pride in their work as Floyd does.

Floyd lives life to the fullest. He and his wife, Jenny, live in Culpeper, VA. Floyd drives two hours to and from work every day—that’s approximately 148 miles per day—and over 50 years that equates to about 1,924,000 miles. To this day he still loves riding his motorcycle with his wife on the back and taking off into the Blue Ridge Mountains and Shenandoah State Park to admire the scenery. Although he grew up hunting and fishing, Floyd now rides his motorcycle and spends most of his free time enjoying his wife, children and grandchildren.

When asked how he has managed to make it all these years and remain so healthy, Floyd stated, “I take a lot of pride in my work and what I do for Hopke. I enjoy what I do; keep active and I walk; lift weights and go to the gym. That’s how I still stay in shape.”

Floyd says he likes the people he works with and the owners at Hopke. “They are all good people, and you can depend on them when they tell you something. William (Bill) Hopke was a great man and always looked after his employees and Frank and Mike have followed in his footsteps. When decisions need to be made about equipment purchases, Frank and I work together to decide on what will work best for our needs. It is a team effort.”

Everything Floyd has learned, he learned himself. He has always been mechanically inclined. He started working on motorcycles as a child, and then went to work in the service department for Jim McKay, an auto dealer in Northern VA. He did a 4-month training seminar and went into the army for a couple of years. Then in 1972, at age of 30, he met Bill Hopke and has been working for W.B. Hopke Company ever since.

He started as a mechanic working in the equipment department, then Mr. Hopke promoted him to Shop Superintendent. On occasion he still drives a service truck and enjoys going to a project site when the company needs him. He supervises four employees in the shop, and although he does not work on the equipment much anymore, says he learns something new every day.

Floyd says the equipment has really changed over the years. “Everything now has become more computerized. That’s the biggest change. In the early days we used to have cables that made things move and today we have buttons. The technology is so much better when it works but when it does not work, it’s trouble. Much of what we do in the shop is servicing the equipment. Whether it’s backhoes, loaders, excavators, dump trucks, pumps, generators, that’s about 50% of the work we do. We also do fabricating, which I personally enjoy—we weld equipment, plating buckets, etc. And we keep up with the hoses and hydraulics on all the equipment.

“We try our best to keep the equipment clean, as clean equipment represents the company well. We wash the equipment, add fresh paint to make it look new, add the decals and stickers. No one likes to see dirty or dented equipment, and when a client sees clean equipment, it reflects well on our company.”

It takes stamina to work for a company for 50 years and still love coming to work each day. When asked if there was any advice he would pass on to his co-workers, he did have a few things to share. “I think I’d tell the younger guys to take things day by day,” said Floyd. “Don’t worry yourself about stuff. Don’t let things get to you as much as they do. Some of the guys worry themselves to death. I would also tell them to take pride in what they do. We have great people here. Always try to keep a positive attitude and be willing and ready to help out. That’s how you make a career at W.B. Hopke.”

A special thanks to Floyd Whetzel for his years of devotion to W.B. Hopke along with his team of Will, Jose, Shelly, and Richard in the shop. We would like to thank all our employees for their hard work and dedication to our company. It doesn’t work without you.

Contact W.B. Hopke about a career in utility installation and site work at 703-971-0404 or info@wbhopke.com.