Having grown up in the drilling industry, Paige spent time after high school living in Italy and again traveled after college to live in Mexico. Through her travels Paige gained international exposure to the market and even learned Spanish while she was at it!
Apart from spending time with her 2 young children, Paige enjoys living an active lifestyle, exploring local restaurants, and ALL things Disney.
With over 30 years of experience in the rock drilling industry, our Founder provides a hub of information for WORD and its customers. John wears a lot of hats but mostly has a passion for selling, forging the path for innovation, and sharing the Word of God that has led him through many of life’s endeavors. When he takes a break from selling and steps away from his phone, John enjoys reading, solving jigsaw puzzles, and loves hosting parrillas for his 5 children and 12 grandchildren.
Our resident expert in Giftology, Lisa has always had a passion for people and loves bringing joy to those around her. As an original founder and woman of many talents, Lisa holds expertise in a variety of roles at WORD from turning wrenches in the shop to maintaining the fine details of accounting. Currently, as Caring Coordinator, she gets to put her many hobbies of scrapbooking, quilting, and general DIYing to good use maintaining customer relationships and employee morale at WORD throughout the year.
Once an engineer for NASA, Ron is now an invaluable member of the WORD Team. Rocket ships to Rocket Sales, Ron is tasked with purchasing, product innovation, and keeping up with the sales department. Ron is a key part of the processes that help WORD provide the best, most timely solutions for its customers. When he isn’t working at WORD, Ron stays busy with home renovation projects, entertaining his 5 grandchildren, and staying up-to-date with the latest trends in politics and the stock market. He is also a self-taught MIDI expert on his keyboard!
Mikayla’s position at WORD started as a summer internship reviewing documents, answering the phone, and being generally useful until her position grew to accommodate her new college degree and expertise in writing and marketing. When she isn’t coordinating advertising campaigns, writing magazine articles, making social media posts, or prepping for trade shows, Mikayla spends her time outside of work reading, shopping, and spending time with her family.
The champion of our CRM, Donna took Process by the reins and has helped our sales team soar to new heights in efficiency. Starting at WORD in the later months of 2020, Donna came to lend a helping hand with end-of-the-year customer follow-ups and shipping out our 2020 WORD Rock Tour VIP Boxes. During those months Donna spent reaching out to customers, we discovered that she was just the person we needed to help our sales team provide top-tier customer service! Now fully immersed in the sales team, like many team members at WORD, Donna now has many “hats” including sales administration, domestic and international freight coordination, and CRM management. As full-time RVers, when she isn’t at the office, Donna and her husband Russell (another familiar face you might recognize at WORD) spend time at the RV “compound” they built next to their sons’ home waiting for the day they can hit the road long term.
Having a lifetime of sales under his belt, Reid brought a whole new level of efficiency and determination when he joined the WORD sales team. An entrepreneur at heart, Reid’s resume in sales stretches as far back as junior high when he would buy chips from the convenience store delivery driver and sell them to his fellow classmates on the bus. Outside of his many adventures in sales, Reid enjoys spending time with his family, attending IMSA and NASCAR races, and fixing up cars with his son.
Starting his WORD journey in the shop, Taylor had been an enthusiastic helping hand from the beginning. Always eager to accept new challenges and learn, Taylor is known to jump in when needed and transitioned his shop knowledge into a sales role where he is helping Make A Way for our customers each day. Taylor spends his time outside of work with his wife and two sons. When he has time between work and family, Taylor will sneak away to the disc golf course or put hours into his business selling disc golf equipment at Redemption Disc Golf.
Often called our “Accounting Guru” for his accounting wisdom and hippy ponytail, Russell was actually the first Sockwell to work at WORD when he took the company on as a client during his days as a small business accountant. He has since returned to WORD after a 10-year stint in Charleston, SC with his wife, Donna and their daughter and son-in-law. In pursuit of their retirement dream to travel the United States, Russell and Donna became full-time RV’ers two and a half years ago and, since moving back to NC, have set up a custom RV spot in their sons’ yard as “home base”. Now living life with 4 grandchildren next door, Russel and Donna spend many nights chilling out on the deck with music, conversation, and a few beers. Oh, and picking up all the toys out of the yard when the day is done!
Alex has filled many roles during his year at WORD. Starting out in the shop working on drill assembly, Alex has become the liaison between our office and shop locations. Coordinating drill orders, communicating logistics between our two locations, and processing each machine through our inventory system; Alex has helped move WORD to the next level of efficiency. As a dedicated “gamer” Alex spends time outside of work improving his Rocket League and Call of Duty skills. When he isn’t gaming, Alex and his girlfriend like to visit local breweries, spend time with friends, and take care of their many fur babies.
Known in our shipping and receiving department for her attention to detail and organization, Hannah helps keep our customers happy by organizing our stock parts and fulfilling parts orders. A woman of all trades, when she isn’t at WORD some of her favorite hobbies include shopping, D-I-Ying some home improvements, hunting, and working with her boyfriend to fix up the newest car in their collection.
Nicknamed K-LOVE for his positive and encouraging attitude, Andy is one of the most recent additions to the WORD Shop Team. Having exhibited an affinity for mechanics since his youth, working at WORD was just the job he was looking for. As a young mechanic, Andy is breaking generational stereotypes with his hard-working attitude, kind manners, and willingness to go above and beyond in everything he does. Outside of work, Andy enjoys hunting, working on cars, and spending time with his girlfriend.
Descended from a long line of mechanics, fixing things and problem-solving are in Zach’s blood through and through. Crowned with the nickname “Ugga Dugga” early in his time on the WORD team, Zach is detail-oriented and always ready to jump in when help is needed. Outside of working hours, Zach spends his time working on odds-and-ends home projects, spending time with his girlfriend, and playing video games.
The red-headed member of the Patterson household, Charlie grew up in the rock drilling industry and began assembling drills as his after-school activity in high school. When in his 20s, Charlie took a break from rock drills to be a mechanic in the army where he ended up meeting his wife of 6 years. When he isn’t working, Charlie enjoys reading or listening to books, playing with his 4 children, meeting with friends, and aspires to write a book.
Deemed the Mullet Man by his buddies in the shop, TJ is all business up front but we suspect his party side to show up soon. The newest addition to the shop team, TJ is learning the ropes and is eager to jump into work. His mechanical ability, learning interest, and level-headed nature mean that it won’t be long until he’s one of the pros. Your typical southern country boy, TJ spends his free time getting in as much hunting and fishing as he can.