I first want to give a big thank you to everybody that e-mailed me in droves over the past 24 hours bringing this to my attention.  To be quite honest, I have not read anything from The Reading Eagle for the past couple of months now.

However when this article came to my attention this morning that was written by Tony Lucia, I had to comment on this, because in my opinion, this article is nothing but your typical public relations spin piece.  I want to address the facts that Tony Lucia either failed to mention or did not research.  I know The Reading Eagle reads this site, and I will tell you guys right now you can quote me on record with everything I’m about to say in this posting without violating any Berks Blog Network Copyrights.

First let’s start out with Dave Walton’s quote in the article about selling the company, because he is nearing retirement.  Dave’s statement is partially correct.  When I started with RAM Industries in February of 1998, every year at the annual all staff meeting, Dave would mention that he intends to sell the company in a few years, but the part that is not being told is that he was in a previous buyout agreement with RAM Industries staff where they bought stock in the company and became partners.  Those people’s names are Bryan Feeney, Stan Levandoski, Mike Gaza, Jeff Graby, and Barry Bowers.  Part of this partnership was that every 5 years Dave would sell more stock to them making it a phased buyout.  This partnership was going on for at least a couple of years.  Despite all of this Dave kept the majority of stock, and could pull the plug on this deal if he so decided which is obvious he did.  Which now comes to why did he pull the plug?

The answer to that question is simple and can be proven by just simply checking public records.  RAM Industries has been plagued with several lawsuits and scandals particularly involving wrongful terminations, and the various abuses of employees while under the watch of this partnership. 

First there was the Karen Kershner PAC which was a large group of employees in the harnessing department that were bullied and pressured until they quit, and when they did not quit they got laid off by being told that their jobs were going to Mexico, when in fact they simply replaced them with temps in Leesport.  RAM Industries was found guilty of this, and each of these ladies was paid $40,000 each.  Considering this PAC consisted of over 10 people that is without a doubt a hard financial hit for a company that size during a slow economy.

Then there is my mother Mary Ann Helbert.  Since this case is currently in a pending status I will not go into detail.  I will say that Mary has been subjected to several tactics of abuse by Glen Adams who is in my opinion a self centered violent egomaniac, especially toward women as he once had his ass kicked by a stripper in Somerset, NJ while on business, because he would not give her a dollar after getting a lap dance.

It is these types of things, that I’m sure was the reason Dave Walton was really compelled to sell to Schneider Electric.  Now if The Reading Eagle really wants to be an “objective” news source, they will look into this information I provided.

Again everything I’m saying is fact.  All the claims I mentioned above were either filed in court records, or The Pennsylvania Department of Labor And Industry.

Source: [1] http://www.readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=95054