Specification Rubber Products welcomes our newest family member, Jeff Picklesimer. Jeff’s
strong background in coaching, teaching, developing programs, and training has prepared him
to join our team as our Training and Development Specialist. Jeff will be responsible for
developing and administering our company training strategy and overseeing its
implementation.

At Specification Rubber Products, we follow a thorough hiring process. We understand our
company can only perform at its best when we have the best fit in each position. We strive for
our employee family to feel confident and comfortable in their roles. As we seek to recruit and
hire the right fit, we focus on more than just their performance. We care about the person.
Join us in welcoming Jeff and learning a little more about him.

Jeff Picklesimer has been married to his wife Suzanne for 38 years. They have 2 grown
children. Their daughter, Megan is 29 years old and is married to her husband, Bart. They gave
Jeff and Suzanne their first granddaughter, Bennett who is a whopping 3 years old. Jeff and
Suzanne’s son, Hunter is a young Civil Engineer at the age of 25 in Charleston, South Carolina.
Jeff loves to hunt, fish, golf, and root for Alabama Football. He has a passion for coaching and
teaching and even coached his children through youth sports. Jeff is a Deacon at Liberty Baptist
Church in Chelsea, Alabama and serves as Communications Leader for their Sunday School
classes. Jeff also oversees the ushers for the early service.

We look forward to Jeff utilizing his proven leadership skills to help Specification Rubber
Products grow by creating a positive environment for learning, providing new training and
structure, and refining and improving our processes. Welcome to the team, Jeff!

This Veterans Day marks the 100-year anniversary of the end of World War I. Originally called Armistice Day, this federal holiday was changed to Veterans Day in 1954. At that time, it became a day to honor all men and women who have served in the armed forces of the United States of America.

Veterans Day provides an opportunity to honor and show appreciation to those who are currently serving or have served in the military.

A veteran’s sacrifice is unmatched. Veterans are men and women who have placed service to our country above their own comfort, personal dreams, and even their loved ones. While we may never be able to repay them, we can honor them for this sacrifice. How do you truly honor a veteran? We hope you’ll join the Specification Rubber Products family in some of these suggestions to pay tribute to the ones who have given so much.

• Show up to a parade or event honoring our veterans. Stand and clap for them.
• Fly a flag. They fought hard for those stars and stripes; fly it proudly.
• Ask them about their time in the service and just listen, giving your full attention.
• Acknowledge their sacrifice with a thank you card or any creative display of appreciation.
• Visit them in their home, on the street, or VA facility.
• Write a letter and send a care package to someone currently serving.
• Donate to the wonderful organizations that offer support, services, and appreciation to our veterans.
• Volunteer your time to a Veteran’s Service Organization.
• Shake a veteran’s hand.
• Smile. A simple smile can speak volumes.
• Resolve to honor our veterans throughout the year, not just on Veterans Day.

Thank you for joining Specification Rubber Products in taking the time to honor those who have served our country.

Breast cancer has plagued humans for millennia, but awareness has increased dramatically in recent decades. Specification Rubber Products cares about Breast Cancer Awareness because we have moms, sisters, aunts, grandmothers, cousins, mothers-in-law, friends, and daughters who have been affected by this disease. We are committed to doing our part to help individuals understand the importance of Breast Cancer Awareness.

Consider these statistics from the National Breast Cancer Foundation:

• 1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime.
• More than 40,500 diagnosed women will die this year.
• An estimated 2,470 men will be diagnosed and approximately 460 will die.
• 1 woman is diagnosed with breast cancer every 2 minutes.
• 1 woman will die of breast cancer every 13 minutes.
• Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in women.
• Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death among women.

While those statistics are daunting, they have improved dramatically in recent years! The money raised through breast cancer awareness programs has funded research to better understand this disease. There are many types of cancer, and each type can respond differently in different individuals, so it is unlikely that there will ever be one simple “cure” for cancer. The good news is that there are already treatments and “cures” made possible by the generosity of people like you. Researches are now exploring our new understanding of the human genome to improve outcomes, and the research that needs to be funded in the coming years is showing more potential for breakthroughs and discovery than ever before.

The men and women of Specification Rubber Products stand together with The Breast Cancer Research Foundation of Alabama in raising awareness and funding the basic research that is improving the outlook for moms, sisters, aunts, grandmothers, cousins, mothers-in-law, friends, and daughters across the globe.

Specification Rubber Products stands with those affected by breast cancer by donating a percentage of our October sales to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation of Alabama. Please join us in the fight by donating today.

America is a land of opportunity and progress where we don’t think twice about opening a refrigerator to grab a snack or stopping at a gas station to fill up our tank. We don’t question where most products come from or how everyday conveniences work.

We turn on the faucet at the kitchen sink without thinking about it, and water comes out. As Americans, we expect it. We all feel empathy for those who lack access to clean water, but have we really imagined life without clean water? What if nothing happened the next time you turned the faucet? What if you and your entire city went just ONE day without water?

One Day with No Water

Take a moment to imagine a day without water. You wake up, walk to the sink, turn on the faucet and nothing happens. You turn on the news, and nobody in the city has running water.
Many people would call in sick because of embarrassment over basic hygiene, and others would miss work when schools and daycares are unable to open. You might be able to look past the smell of your own unshowered body and unbrushed teeth, but the cumulative stench of your co-workers gets worse throughout the day. The determined individuals who do show up for work are in bad moods because there is no water for the coffee maker. By midafternoon, the whole office looks like an episode of The Walking Dead. It’s going to take at least a week to catch up after all of the lost productivity, but that is the least of your worries.

The restrooms have become a serious health hazard and more employees are clocking out early and heading home just to face the same frustrating issues there. Vital community services like fire departments and hospitals are severely impacted, resulting in a dramatic increase in life-threatening situations.

When you get home, the laundry and dishes are piling up, and the kids complain about a microwaved dinner. Finally, you put stinky kids to bed and turn on the news only to find out that things are worse than you had imagined. An individual burning brush in their backyard accidentally set their deck on fire. Normally this would have been extinguished quickly, but with no water, the fire spread from house to house destroying dozens of homes. Commercial cooling systems that rely on water are failing, and people living in retirement and nursing homes are in extreme jeopardy. Hospitals are overcrowded and are only accepting patients with the most life-threatening conditions.

The next morning, water is restored, but it will be weeks before life returns to normal. There are disease outbreaks due to the lack of normal hygiene. Some businesses fail due to critical lapses in their manufacturing processes and infrastructure. The truth is, we could never measure the loss of life or the financial cost of one day without water.

Helping Deliver Clean Water for 50 Years

Our modern world would likely come to a screeching halt within hours if we lost access to clean water. Constant access to clean, running water is something we take for granted. We don’t ever slow down long enough to think about life without it. Hopefully, this little thought experiment will be the closest that we ever come to a real day without water.

Specification Rubber Products exists to support our nation’s water infrastructure. For 50 years, Specification Rubber Products have supported the waterworks Industry by providing reliable, high quality, domestically manufactured, certified gaskets and sealing solutions. We look forward to playing a role in clean water delivery for years to come.

In 1968, in the small, then rural town of Alabaster, Alabama, Specification Rubber Products celebrated the opening of an 18,000-square-foot facility to produce rubber gaskets for nearby cast iron pipe companies. At the time, Birmingham-area cast iron pipe manufacturers produced 75 percent of the cast iron water pipe manufactured in the U.S. that today makes up much of the country’s water infrastructure.

 The vision: to supply a vital product to the waterworks industry; to provide reliable and meaningful work for area residents; and to be a responsible and valued neighbor to the local community. Fifty years later, the company, still nestled in the heart of the popular Birmingham suburb, continues to serve the waterworks industry, as well as others, including mining, agriculture and energy. Read more.

Specification Rubber Products began in 1968 as a manufacturer of molded rubber components for the waterworks industry, specializing in rubber gaskets. Today, our company is a primary supplier for ductile iron pipe, valve, and hydrant producers. We also offer specialty mechanical molded goods for industrial applications.

Our name is an accurate description of the products and services that we provide to our customers. We are custom molders of high quality, close tolerance, engineered rubber products not only for the waterworks industry but any industries that use gaskets when installing iron or any other material pipes. We have the technology, equipment, and experience in producing large parts that other molders avoid. The Polymers that we use to create our products include SBR, natural rubber, nitrile, EPDM, neoprene, silicone, and fluoroelastomer. We welcome the opportunity to recommend or to assist in formulating a rubber compound to meet your specific requirements and specifications. Our manufacturing facility is located in Alabaster, Alabama, USA.

Quality products from a quality company.

AFFILIATIONS

• American Water Works Association
• Ductile Iron Pipe Research Association
• NSF (Specification Rubber Products listing page)
• NSF International
• Underwriters Laboratories, Inc.