Evelle’s husband Carlos, Evelle and Evelle’s sister Raven. Evelle and Carlos met at the mill; Carlos retired in 2022 after 34 years with Weyerhaeuser.
In the early 2000s, Evelle Thomas and her family lived in New Orleans, Louisiana. When Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005, Evelle’s family of four — including a newborn — lost everything.
“The Salvation Army helped us stay on our feet, but we decided to relocate and restart somewhere new,” she says.
In 2010 the family found themselves near our McComb lumber mill in Magnolia, Mississippi. Evelle applied for a job at the mill and became the site’s first woman forklift driver. And she quickly applied herself to helping out in the community as well.
“I try to give back wherever I can, to pay back the help we received after Katrina,” she says.
Evelle volunteers with high school girls’ basketball and track teams, advocates for girls’ sports, runs fundraisers and toy drives, and serves on the McComb School Board — all while continuing to grow her career at the mill, where she now works in the storeroom.
Her secret to getting everything done? “You just have to have the mindset to do what’s right.”
Evelle (right) with Carlos, her son Ronald and daughter-in-law Jada at Ronald and Jada’s wedding in 2022.
MEET EVELLE
Your title is storeroom clerk. Tell us what you do.
I like telling people the storeroom is similar to Walmart because we do a little bit of everything. I unload the trucks, and I input the paperwork into our database. Then I help stock everything from pencils to machine parts. I also work with our equipment vendors and track the inventory log. At any given time, we can have millions of dollars of inventory here in McComb, so there’s a lot to keep track of! I also help issue, order or ship equipment and supplies when needed.
What led you to this job?
When I started here in 2010, I was hired as a forklift driver — the only female forklift driver in the history of the mill! I decided this is somewhere I wanted to stay and grow my career, so I applied for a leadership position. I didn’t get it, but I kept my eye open for other opportunities. When this position opened up in 2017, I applied, and I’ve been here ever since.
What’s your favorite part of your job?
Working with my manager. We both have the same mindset. If we’re going to do something, we’re going to do it well. We trust each other, so she doesn’t need to micromanage me — in fact, sometimes it’s like we’re the same person! We have this place very organized. If you come looking for something, we’ll find it for you right away.
What are some challenges you face at work?
Even though we have a bit of everything, in most cases you can’t just walk in looking for something and walk back out with it in hand. There are certain procedures and documents we need to have to issue items so that we can keep an accurate inventory and be ready for whatever may come up. We always want to be helpful and get the things our coworkers need, but it can be hard to explain the need for the process sometimes. I think some sort of orientation to how our mills work could benefit everyone.
Evelle, right, with her sister Monica (left), mother Deborah (second from left) and sister Raven when Raven was promoted to Captain of the New Orleans police department.
What advice would you give someone who wants a job like yours?
With proper training and a desire to learn, anything can be taught. I’ve created a training package for when I’m asked to train people at other mills — but of course you have to make time for the training. It’s always very busy here, so you have to be self-motivated. It’s important to learn this job right.
What other interests do you have?
Community service. The last two years, I’ve done a toy drive. We raised over $3,000 worth of toys two years in a row to donate to the Salvation Army. I’ve been trying to give back in some fashion since 2008, after the Salvation Army helped us recover from Katrina. Unless you’ve relied on charity yourself, you might not understand how impactful it is to receive help when you need it, even if you donate regularly. Once I even had someone randomly call me just to tell me how much they appreciate me doing this.
Apart from the community service, I’m the chairperson of the McComb School District board of trustees, which is practically its own full-time job. I’m currently working on getting more funding for female sports, which has been one of my passion projects ever since my daughter started athletics. It’s important these girls have the same chances and opportunities as the boys.
What do you do to relax when you're off work?
Let me tell you, after a day at Weyerhaeuser and school board duties and community service, unless there’s some place I absolutely must be, I’m going to go home to take a bath, watch tv and drink me a coke!
