More than a supervisor

Ale-8-One has been a Winchester staple since it was invented and first bottled a century ago. Three and a half years ago, the Ale-8 plant gained a new heart and soul when Fred White walked through its doors as the new warehouse supervisor. He brought a powerful sense of leadership and wisdom that quickly changed the culture of Ale-8’s only production warehouse in the world. But his path there wasn’t easy.

As a child, Fred struggled socially and disliked school. Anxiety left him with what he described as a tight coil in his stomach. When he was 12, he found a case of wine in the basement of the church his father pastored.

“After the third gulp of hot wine, it just loosened up, and I was OK — and, by God, I was going to chase that feeling the rest of my life,” she said.

But after struggling with alcoholism for two decades, Fred has been sober for 30 years. His journey to sobriety has impacted how he treats Ale-8 employees and others.

As warehouse supervisor, Fred is the bridge between the office staff and the floor workers, making sure everything in Ale-8 production and delivery is running smoothly. It’s not uncommon to see him sitting in management meetings one moment and moving pallets with a forklift the next.

From lunch cookouts he prepares for his workers on the floor to praying with office staff, it is Fred’s goal to make his staff want to come to work. He wants to reduce the high employee turnover common in the beverage industry, but, more importantly, it reflects his character.

“I don’t want none of my employees to wake up at whatever time they get up and go, ‘God, I gotta go to work at Ale-8′,” he said. “So I try to make it as comfortable a atmosphere and culture that we can.”

After he became the supervisor, Fred and his employees reorganized and cleaned up the warehouse floor. “Fred wanted it to be easier on his employees,” said Darian Bowman, the dock coordinator.

“If you’re fair with him, he’s fair with you,” production worker Corie Barnett said.

Beyond the walls of Ale-8, Fred also aspires to improve the lives of people in the way he knows best.

Fred and his wife, Sharon White, are strong role models in their church, the Camargo Church of God in Mt. Sterling, helping those in their community in moments of grief.

“I think God put us in a place where people are helping people, and we want to help people,” Sharon said.

Fred alsohas helped those suffering from alcoholism by starting a 12-step program. During his daily prayer, he will often text a network of 20 to 30 people messages to inspire sobriety along with quotes from the Bible.

“I try still to do the best things I can to help people,” Fred said, “because somebody did it for me.”