Fate put Putney on career path

by Paul V. Arnold 

Fate is a funny thing. It steers you down paths you may not have chosen, and only years later do you realize the impact and importance of that change in direction. What was once seen as adversity is now remembered as an opportunity.

Such is the case of Bob Putney.

In 1977 while at Virginia Polytechnic Institute, Putney’s career plans were thrown a curve.

“I flunked out of engineering school,” he says.

Putney made the 215-mile trek back to his hometown of Richmond, Va., where fate awaited him.

“I was struggling. I was just looking for a job,” he says. “I turned in a resume at the front desk at Philip Morris. I got called the next day for an interview and they matched me up for a need in the company.”

The cigarette manufacturer hired him to do time studies as an industrial engineering technician.

Opportunity knocked. Putney answered. He excelled on the job and took advantage of the firm’s college tuition-reimbursement program. His career path now includes impressive mile markers:

1978: Promoted to installation maintenance planner.

1981: Promoted to machinery installation supervisor.

1983: Earned a bachelor degree in general studies (emphasis on industrial project management) from Virginia Commonwealth University.

1990: Promoted to inventory planner.

1993: Promoted to senior inventory planner.

1996: Promoted to senior purchasing agent.

1999: Earned Certified Purchasing Manager designation from the National Association of Purchasing Management.

2000: Promoted to purchasing staff specialist.

If you followed the path, you noticed that Putney’s career evolved from engineering and maintenance to purchasing and the supply chain.

“I had no idea my career would go this way,” he says. “It just happened, and it was all for the best. Today, that plant-floor experience helps me. I know who the players are in the factory and their areas of responsibility. When I need help in any area, I know who to call on.”

Today, Putney and two co-workers manage a $50 million MRO budget for Philip Morris’ Richmond Manufacturing Center, a 200-acre facility that employs 3,500 and produces 672 million cigarettes a day.

Putney’s duties are varied and immense. They include:

• procurement of MRO products, spare parts and services;
• management of the coal contract for plant boilers;
• management of the local hauling contract governing 90 truck drivers who transport materials from warehouses and storage facilities to the factory;
• support of plant construction and remodeling projects;
• serving as a subject matter expert on teams that decide omnibus (integrated supply) contracts and consolidated service agreements;
• and, leading the implementation of “PM buyer,” the company’s electronic procurement solution.

If that’s not enough, he manages setup contracts for the firm’s two biggest events —the stockholders’ meeting and the employee picnic.

“My biggest challenge is scheduling my time and making sure all the needs are met. Also, it’s being able to prioritize,” he says.

Putney believes his path does not end here.

“I’d like to move into a manager position,” he admits. “I’d like to share my knowledge with younger folks and get them experienced and able to carry on the business.”

This article appeared in the April/May 2002 issue of MRO Today magazine. Copyright, 2002.

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