My Wabash Story: Victor Moore

If you had the option to take the risk of leaving your home country in search of new but unguaranteed opportunities, do you think you could do it? That was the choice that Victor Moore faced when he began his journey many years ago. Victor was born in Ghana, where he was raised in a small family. Growing up, he knew a lot of individuals who had to make their own way in his home country. Whether it was starting your own business or finding other methods, making money in his hometown was difficult. When Victor was old enough and had the funds to do so, he set his sights on the United States in November 2008.

Making the move was not an easy one, as he had to leave family and his prior life behind. His path led him to Georgia and then to Indiana not long after. Although he found a job that paid the bills, he wanted to feel like he had a direction. He thought new opportunities and a change of scenery would make a difference, and that’s where his journey with Wabash began.

Victor’s Wabash story began in 2009, when he was hired to work as a welder part-time. Victor admitted that in his younger years he didn’t see the job as anything more than a means to an end, but all of that changed when he sought out his full-time opportunity.

"I never thought I’d be at Wabash this long," he said. "But once I realized how much I liked it, I started to take my job more seriously. Once I did that, I became full-time."

Throughout his early years, Victor was glad to share that his team environment didn’t change much. He stated that it feels similar, if not a little better, than it did in 2009. He remarked that he could see Wabash trying to make changes by realizing that employees did want to work and that they "became more open to giving people opportunities to do that work." Wabash began to break things down for employees, offering more chances to grow and learn on the production floor. Victor shared with us a realization that he had about his prior position:

"Back then, training-wise, I never really had any problems," he said. "However, if you wanted to know something, you had to ask someone. People wouldn’t just come to you, and I think sometimes to know something, you have to prove to people that you want to know it."

Sure enough, he began to learn—and quickly. It was difficult at first, but Victor was never one to throw in the towel very easily. He seized opportunities wherever and whenever they were available. He worked on the plant floors, absorbing as much knowledge as he could from other jobs around him. The hard work and dedication to pressing onward paid off shortly after, as Victor was soon offered multiple positions in other departments. Throughout his journey, he picked up a variety of hard and soft skills that contribute to his success in his role today. However, Victor admitted there were times when he felt frustrated at the amount of work he was asked to do. He felt it was a combination of biting off more than he could chew as well as how his supervisors continued giving all the major tasks to him, seemingly without fair distribution to other employees. He brought up the concern with a supervisor, and the answer he received completely changed his perspective.

"I once asked my supervisor why he always picks me for jobs," said Victor. "He told me that leaders always pick their best people to do the job because they’re the ones they have faith in. It put me into perspective that he’s not trying to push me too hard or get me to quit, but that he trusts me. For somebody to put that kind of trust in you, there’s nothing you can do but prove you’re worth the trust."

After that brief conversation, Victor said he felt validated in the work he was doing, with the doubt and frustration disappearing altogether.

In 2019, Victor applied for a welding coordinator position and was promoted shortly after. His current responsibilities have him continuing to work with tools, but he now has oversight of various processes at his plant. He spends his days helping guide employees as well, even on days where it can be difficult to do so. Victor remarked that some days he’ll encounter employees who "feel they get paid the same regardless of what they do." He shared that early on as a coordinator, he struggled to find common ground with those employees, but he never gave up on them. As the team continued to grow together, they were able to find camaraderie.

"When you have employees like that, you just have to be patient and find a way to work around them," Victor said. "Over time, we did, and we became one big family! We haven’t had any problems since."

Going through the motions and challenges of learning how to work alongside individuals whose hearts aren’t in the right place taught Victor a great deal about how to be a leader. He mentioned that by coming into the coordinator position, he learned how to better approach and talk to people about their problems, as well as how to learn and take constructive criticism when he can.

"We all look the same, but we all have different things we’re battling," he said.

Today, Victor shared that he is thankful to be in the position he is in. From the long journey across the world and remembering his family back home, he shared that he knows "there are a lot of people who would love to be in the position he’s in." He’s now the proud father of three children and feels as though he’s found a home at Wabash, grateful to the supervisors who have made him feel like he belongs in our community.

"I don’t think I would rather be anywhere but Wabash," he concluded.

We asked Victor if he had any advice for those looking to get started in their career: