Gramercy Plant Manager Prepares For Change

Growing up in South Georgia, Raylene Carter never knew how the Dixie Crystals sugar was made before it came to her family’s table. But today as the Gramercy Plant Manager, she sees the process up close – and she likes what she sees.

Raylene Carter, Gramercy, La. Plant Manager

“It’s truly fascinating to see how the process is part science, part art. And in many ways, I’ve been surprised to see how similar the sugar process is with that of the other chemical operations where I’ve worked.”

Carter joined the Imperial team this past February after a more than 25 year career in the oil and chemical processing conversion industries, most recently as Plant Manager for a private equity company previously owned by BP and Amoco. She’s served in leadership roles in the areas of customer service, continuous improvement, supply chain management and human resources.

In a company culture where it’s not uncommon to have 30 or 40 years tenure in one place, Carter admits she may be something of a new kid on the block. But she’s on familiar ground in many ways, particularly when it comes to managing change.

“We’re not only focused on making quality sugar, but also with the change that’s occurring within the company. This is where I think I can make a difference. For companies to really grow and prosper you need people who’ve been in other industries and implemented improvements to bring a new thought process, you need a good mixture. I think I help bring that here.”

Lantic Sugar's President and CEO, Ed Makin (center) is escorted on a plant tour by Jack Thompson (left) and Raylene.

During the last year and a half, the Gramercy refinery increased its capacity to meet customer needs while the Port Wentworth refinery was closed. In October, there will be a shift in workload as the Port Wentworth facility resumes full operations.

Carter is confident the transition will be successful, but quickly points out that the building blocks of that success started long before she called Gramercy home.

“I’m on the tail end of what’s been going on here for 15 months to produce additional sugar. It’s really the people who’ve allowed us to increase our workload while the Port Wentworth refinery was rebuilt. They’ve put in lots of time, sacrificing other things in their lives in order to make this happen. It has taken a lot for this plant to manage the increased load and they’ve all done it. Everybody, I mean everybody, putting in the time to do it to make it run.”

It’s clear Carter has a huge amount of respect and admiration not only for its employees, but for the company and its history.

“One thing that amazes me is the number of people who’ve worked in this facility for their entire lives. There’s a huge family history and a sense of community associated with this plant,” Carter says.

Raylene conducting plant meeting.

And it’s that sense of community and work ethic that has Carter eager to roll up her sleeves and help the company through the upcoming transition.

Just what are some of those challenges?

“Many of the orders we process now will be made in Port Wentworth. So what we are considering is how to go through this change and still be as productive as possible.”

Carter says that the workload transition will provide time to more quickly address and implement work processes and procedures designed to bring continuous improvements to the entire operation, as well as continue the implementation of new safety improvements. Dedication to safety, she says, is something the Gramercy plant takes seriously.

“It’s one thing to know food safety standards exist at a company, but to see it in person is amazing. There’s a huge amount of internal scrutiny to make sure everything is done well. Everyone feels their responsibility to help make something of quality.

There’s a saying here, ‘Don’t send it out the door unless you’d want your son or daughter to have it.’ And at our plant, it’s not just a saying. It’s a reality.”