Testimonials

Colleagues, friends and customers who have had the privilege of working with Jack C. Lail.

Richard “Dick” Mack

Jack was the best of the best—a great boss, leader, and a wonderful friend. He always knew how to make things happen.

Steven “Steve” Pendergrass

Jack was the greatest influence in launching my career into the big corporate world at AMP-Tyco Electronics.

Jack, via Mid-State Plastics, financed my Program for Management Development education at UNCG and gave me his personal development help and trust through mentorship during my years at MSP.

Without Jack’s input during those thirteen years at MSP, I likely would have been less successful at AMP-Tyco Electronics.

Rogon Walker

As I reflect on my many years with your company, Jack, I want to take a moment to express my deepest gratitude for your leadership, mentorship, and support. I started working with you at seventeen years old, eager but inexperienced, and through your guidance, I’ve grown not only in my career but also as a person.

You believed in me even at times when I didn’t fully believe in myself. Your patience, trust, and encouragement gave me the confidence to keep learning, improving, and striving for excellence. Thanks to you, I’ve been able to build a lifelong career in the plastics industry, something I’m truly proud of.

It’s been an incredible journey from those early days to now, and I owe so much of that success to your leadership and the example you provided. Working under your direction has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. When people ask what college I attended, I tell them, “The Lail Institute.”

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to grow, for sharing your knowledge, and for believing in my potential all these years. It has truly been an honor to be part of your team.

Dale Johnson

I came to work for Jack at Mid-State Plastics in early 1981, when Connie, Brandi, and I moved to Asheboro/Seagrove. At that time, we didn’t know anyone other than Jack and Charles Allen, who interviewed me for the engineering management position.

Jack made the transition extremely comfortable for both me and my family, helping us adjust to the new location and supporting me as I stepped into my role. He gave me the opportunity to grow with the company and involved me in staffing decisions. He was truly a role model in leadership, always willing to teach those who were ready to put in the effort.

Jack taught me how to manage in the business world and encouraged my professional development by sending me to business school. He trusted me to make decisions and was always there to guide and support me when needed. Jack was loyal to his employees through both good and challenging times, and he played a very important role in shaping my career.

Sandra Spivey Ayers

Growing up in the Seagrove community, it was almost a rite of passage to work at Mid-State Plastics at some point. My journey there began the summer after my senior year of high school, when I worked third shift in the Customs plant. Throughout college, I returned each summer to work third shift—except for my final summer, when Jack graciously offered me an internship in the office to gain business experience. He had previously written a letter of recommendation supporting my acceptance into the Business School at UNC-Chapel Hill, for which I remain deeply grateful.

After graduating from college, I spent the summer searching for a full-time position and once again returned to third shift at Mid-State to earn money during that transition. Before long, an opening became available for an accounts payable clerk. I had to laugh at the irony—after confidently telling my third-shift coworkers that I would not be staying at Mid-State permanently, I was stepping into my first professional day job there.

My office was just outside Jack’s, which allowed me to observe firsthand his leadership and character. I shared the office with his secretary, and every day brought new lessons—both personal and professional. Jack even gave me the opportunity to take my first plane ride on a visit to the Mid-State plant in Round Rock, Texas. Later, he entrusted me with the opportunity to work at that Texas plant for a year, further broadening my experience.

In total, I spent ten years with Mid-State Plastics, which later became Anchor Advanced Products and then Moll Industries. During that time, I had the privilege of working in accounting, ISO 900 compliance, customer service, and quality control. The breadth of experience I gained—and the mentorship I received from Jack—ultimately inspired me to pursue my master’s degree and CPA license.

In a recent conversation, Jack joked that had I began my current state job earlier, I could already be retired. While that may be true, I would not trade my years at Mid-State Plastics for anything. It was there that I learned invaluable life lessons—how to treat people fairly, how to strive for excellence each day, and how to lead with integrity. Mid-State Plastics was more than a workplace; it was a family. And that family remains connected today through lifelong friendships, all brought together by Jack Lail.

Carry Durham

While serving as the lead KPMG auditor for Mid-State Plastics from 1980-82, I was always impressed with the character, intelligence, demeanor as well as the team-oriented management style of Jack Lail, the company’s founder and president.

This, I thought, was the type of person I would love to work for some day. Well, fast forward seven years later and that dream manifested into my being named MSP’s Vice President-Finance and Administration. By then, Jack had led this molded plastics manufacturing firm to even greater success, assembling the best team from top to bottom a person could ever work with. It proved the gold standard of any organization I was associated with over my 45-year business career.