At Mermet, we value and take pride in our employees and their talents. Because of this we will now be starting a NEW series in which we will highlight one Mermet employee who is doing some awesome and interesting things outside of the workplace. To kick off our series, we will be telling the story of one employee who never fails to make everyone’s day just a little bit better, James “Jay” Morris. James currently serves as the Fabric Qualification Technician and has been doing so since June of 2021. In this role James communicates closely with the customer to cut fabric to whatever size is needed for the job. James also has a hand in testing the fabric to ensure the utmost quality.

Around the plant, James is known for his positive and upbeat personality. He never fails to tell each person he walks by “Good morning” and “I want you to have a great day.” His smiling face and positive demeanor is no accident, he expressed he wants to have a positive influence on those around him. “You just never know when someone is about to hit their breaking point,” James said. “Speaking to people in a positive way and spreading encouragement could be the difference in someone’s life.”

This mindset has encouraged James to participate in motivational speaking. He expressed that he has a deep passion for motivating people and pushing them to do their best. “People are public successes and private failures,” James gave one of his favorite quotes. When you think about it, people tend to portray a fine exterior, but you never know what lies beneath. The weight of personal failure can weigh heavily on someone, and if someone can motivate them to keep pushing through the hard times, they can become better for it.

Other than spreading joy and motivating people through speaking, James’ greatest passion is crafting his aerial photography and videography talents. When asked what he does in his free time, James said that he flies his drone whenever possible. “As soon as I get home, I go out and fly. Every weekend that’s what I’m doing.” James uses aerial photography and videography to capture content of everything from gorgeous landscapes, to real estate property, to sports games. But of all, his favorite place to get aerial photography and video is the Great Smoky Mountains in Tennessee.

In fact, this past October, James took his drone and camera out to Barnet Park in Spartanburg, South Carolina to the Spartanburg Soaring! International Kite Festival to get some aerial footage of the event which Mermet sponsored and had participated in. It was a brilliant, breezy day at the park and the kites were in full sail. James shared his video with us featuring incredible views of downtown Spartanburg and kites flying high in the sky. Check out the video we put together featuring the aerial video shot by James at the Spartanburg Soaring! Kite Festival below!

For more about James and to see more aerial photography and videography, visit his website here!