Be
AMAZING
18
John learned about the company
through some friends at college
who were doing co-ops at Gore.
From his friends' experiences, John
says, "It sounded like Gore was a
great place to work; a place to
make money and have fun. It also
sounded like a company that
f o s t e r e d c r e a t i v e t h o u g h t ;
development; and new, innovative
products—and if you had an idea
for making a better product or a
new product, they let you work on it.
So I was definitely interested in
working for Gore."
This initial perception proved to be
true. John interviewed with Gore on
campus and was offered an
internship with the industrial dry
filtration business in machine
design. He says, "I was really able
to design things on my own with
input from others even though I was
still in college. I thought, “Wow,
there’s a lot of freedom for me to be
able to do these things,” and I really
enjoyed it. I was there for seven
months, and I stayed on board after
that, doing my senior design project
with Gore and working part-time
until I graduated."
At Gore, we believe it's important to
do something you're passionate
about. We encourage associates to
find work that motivates them to be
successful. Once he joined Gore
full-time, says John, "I heard that
we were developing guitar strings,
and I got excited because I’m a
musician. When I was a kid I
thought that working in the music
industry would be awesome. I got
the chance to try some of the
strings on my guitar when the team
was just doing trials, and I realized
the product was great. I started
networking to make it known that I’d
love to get a chance to work with
that business.” And his efforts paid
off. Explains John, "Although I
wasn’t involved in the grassroots
effort of getting the ELIXIR® Strings
off the ground, I joined the team two
years later."
Using ELIXIR® Strings as an
example—which last three to five
times longer than ordinary strings
while delivering great tone—John
says, "I think our approach to
p r oduc t s i s un i que : mak i ng
something that fulfills a need that
nothing else can. I think it reinforces
the value customers see in the
b r a n d , a n d wh e n t h e y s e e
something new coming out, it really
influences them to try it. That’s
what’s important to me."
John says that working at Gore has
taught him patience. "To develop a
product that’s really good, you have
to be patient. The more constructive
time you can put into this kind of
effort, the more it pays off in the
end. I've also learned that you need
to think strategically, because not all
ideas work out. Some of the most
interesting concepts never even
make it to the market."
"
Our culture is based on freedom,
commitment, and creativity," says
John, "so we need to hire really
good people. That's really exciting,
and you get energized by it
because you feel like each person
is making a difference. I believe in
how we treat our customers and our
suppliers, that we have a good
reputation, and that it’s everybody’s
job to be a part of that."
John's not alone in his enthusiasm.
"
If you walk into any plant, and you
start talking to folks, you'll find out
they’re passionate about what they
do. We’re doing something a little
different here. Gore provides me
with an outlet for creativity. It’s a
great place to work, and I’ve always
been very happy with my decision
to join Gore."
ACulture
That Fosters
Creativity
John first  joined Gore as an  intern as he was earning his engineering degree. Although he now works  in  
Gore's Fine Filtration Products business, he was a key member of  the ELIXIR® Strings  team  for  several  
years.
Learn More
Visit elixirstrings.com to learn more
about ELIXIR® Strings and related
products.
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