Since 1951, Gregory Poole Equipment Company has been a stable employer for communities throughout eastern North Carolina. Now with over 1,500 employees across North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia, Gregory Poole has evolved over the years while remaining a family-owned company with a strong set of Core Values.
“We’ve grown in numbers, but in a lot of ways, I think we’re the same company we used to be,” says Coastal Service Manager Ken Woodworth. “When I interviewed here, there were several people with 15, 20, 30 years with the company at the time. So, I knew that it was a place that people got to and stayed.”
Having been with the company for nearly 19 years, Ken has experienced Gregory Poole’s simultaneous growth and stability firsthand.
“It’s still that way today with a lot of people with 40, even up to 50 years with the company. So, we’re still family owned, but it’s a larger company,” he adds.
It is estimated that people today spend an average of 3.9 years at a job before moving on. At Gregory Poole, the average tenure is just over eight years. So why do so many employees choose to stay compared to the modern job market? On top of a supportive company culture, Ken shares that Gregory Poole’s ability to provide concrete career paths keeps employees at the company longer.
“There’s growth opportunities,” he says. “Here, my supervisor started on the wash pit cleaning equipment, and today is the general service manager for the Construction Division. I came here as a management trainee and now have the role of Coastal Service Manager with responsibilities of 5 service branches and over 150 people.”
To start his career in the construction industry, Ken attended Wake Technical Community College. In 2024, Gregory Poole and Wake Tech launched a new partnership for apprentices. Through the program, apprentices spend two days on campus taking classes at no cost and three days working on-site for Gregory Poole earning a salary.
“The curriculum gives a good foundation. It gives them enough to get the foundation of basic principles and things like that,” Ken says of the program. “They’re able to reinforce the things learned in the classroom with things here at the shop. And they’re being taught in the right way with a safety culture in mind, to make sure that we’re putting that first and foremost and then learning the fundamentals.”
Throughout his career, Ken has had his fair share of mentors at Gregory Poole. Now he is in a position to act as a mentor to new employees looking to start a career.
“We give them opportunities,” he says. “We put them in positions where they can be successful… Younger technicians can come here with really just a basic mechanical aptitude and then be put in positions where they can learn and over time have a career, ultimately progressing to a Master Technician level.”
Those interested in a possible career as a technician can choose between Gregory Poole’s Construction, Lift, Marine, and EPG divisions. Along with the different divisions, technicians can choose different day-to-day opportunities and specialties.
“We have second shift. So again, someone might want to work in the afternoons and evenings versus early in the morning. Raleigh, for instance, we’ve got the main shop, we’ve got PM group, compact, you’ve got the hydraulic cylinder, hydraulic pump, and specialization shop. There’s lots of different groups for them to work within,” Ken shares.
With the need for skilled trades rising, there are a number of industries that rely on those with a mechanical aptitude. However, Ken maintains that Gregory Poole’s growth opportunities and company culture set it apart for potential technicians.
“If you want to make a career of this, you’re much better suited to do it at Gregory Poole,” he says. “We take care of the employee, care about the family life, and there’s opportunities to make this a career, not just a short-time job.”
Interested in building a career at Gregory Poole? Check out our careers page to view our open roles.