Unstoppable People - Tom Gilkeson

Milliken’s Unstoppable People series highlights Milliken & Company associates who guide us to success and embody our values: integrity, excellence, innovation, sustainability, and people.

“We have locations and situations at times where we have what we call ‘lone workers’ - people who work in a remote part of a plant or who may otherwise be working in an isolated situation. These lone workers carry devices that open up a two-way communication to us at the GSOC [Global Security Operations Center] in the event they fall down or get into trouble.”

Tom Gilkeson details this little-known element of Milliken’s global security effort that, in many ways, illustrates what he’s been working on for the last seven years. When he joined Milliken in 2016 as Vice President of Global Security, he was tasked with developing and strengthening a corporate security program that, first and foremost, upheld Milliken’s duty of care. “We have a corporate responsibility to provide a safe, healthy, and ethical workplace for our associates, for our visitors, and for our customers. That’s our foundation, our base of the pyramid.”

Tom and his team built on that theme, determining programs and protocols that protect Milliken’s people and its ability to operate safely. This ranges from a workplace violence prevention program, industrial and supply chain security efforts, personnel protection, travel risk management, and, of course, traditional operational and property security. “We tailor our work to the needs of the location, and this can vary. We try to right size our approach based on what the risks are.” Whether the needs are comprehensive facility security management or focused associate monitoring for safety, Tom is the one behind it.

If it sounds like “special ops” in a way, it might be because Tom’s career trajectory is heavily influenced by his time in the military. “I went to the Air Force Academy with the goal of being a pilot in the military. But my senior year, I was diagnosed with this very obscure medical problem, which ended up disqualifying me from flying. So, I joined the Air Force, working on classified research and development programs. And because they were classified projects, we had support from a counterintelligence agency called the Air Force Office of Special Investigations (OSI). It's like the Air Force version of NCIS. After a while, I got recruited to join OSI early in my military career.”

The training and connections forged during his time in OSI helped advance his career in ways he didn’t see coming. “After 20 years in OSI, I retired with significant law enforcement, counterintelligence, and counterterrorism experience—which interestingly led to career opportunities once I got out.” Tom was recruited first to The Walt Disney Company based in California and then to Michelin in Upstate South Carolina, largely due to his military connections and counterintelligence experience. When he was approached with a new opportunity that would keep him and his family in the Upstate, he was intrigued. “It was just by luck that I came to South Carolina to work for Michelin. My wife, our three kids—we love it here.”

The job, as it turned out, was working for Milliken at a time when comprehensive global security needs became a priority for maintaining our manufacturing excellence and caring for our people. "I didn't know much about Milliken, but having learned important lessons in my prior roles, I was ready for the challenge of global corporate security. It was very important to me to work for an ethical company. Another company that approached me worked in an industry I just couldn't get behind. Milliken's values were definitely important to me, and they keep me here today.

“Milliken is on a multi-year journey, and each day is an opportunity to advance that journey in service of our people. In fact, we had a great meeting with one of our businesses just recently, and they are on board to finish a recommended program that addresses a key risk component. So, I call that a good week.”

We may not be securing a facility in the middle of a combat zone, Tom said earnestly, but we’re doing vital work all the same.

Want to join our team of #UnstoppablePeople? Visit our careers webpage to learn more about your next opportunity.

Do you know an Unstoppable Person you’d like to recognize? Nominate them at [email protected].