Jack Gibson’s unwavering commitment to the art of self-defense is a coveted quality applied concurrently to his career as an information technology manager for Moses Lake Industries. 1981, Jack was responsible for Grant County’s first martial arts program, opening a dojo in Moses Lake. Today, Jack’s Freewind Martial Arts studio continues its tradition of teaching the fundamentals of self defense, but more importantly, provides the building blocks for a better life. After having children in the mid-80s, Jack decided he wanted to provide for his family and began studying computer science at Big Bend Community College. After graduating in 1991, Jack says he started his career in IT and “never looked back.”
“After graduating from BBCC, I ended up working there for 12 years in a variety of capacities: part time instructor, full time technician/instructor, full time trainer and developer of IT certification courses, such as Microsoft and Cisco certifications.
From there, I worked at Takata Inflation Systems for over three years and then moved on to Moses Lake Industries, where I’ve been for almost fifteen years.
2021 will be a year of milestones for me: 30 years in the IT industry, 15 years at MLI and 40 years since I opened the first martial arts studio in our area.”
2021 marks the year of Jack’s planned retirement, but until then, Jack will remain committed to his craft in teaching others how to be successful IT professionals while working at Moses Lake Industries.
“The IT staff we have built over the years (from just two of us when I started, we’ve grown to eight full-time workers in the IT department) are an incredible group of talented people with a variety of personalities that are all unique and very enjoyable to be around,” Jack told Grant County Industrial Alliance. “My role, the role of the IT department, at MLI in general, is pivotal in that we provide the systems – here in Moses Lake as well as in China and Portland (MLI subsidiary sites) – that every single worker needs in order to perform their day-to-day work, from the production floor all the way up to executive management.”
Jack says his career passions runs deep thanks to an encouraging and constructive atmosphere at MLI.
“As far as my employer goes – I have worked at many places in my life, but I have never worked for an organization that is more committed to their employees. From the time that I started, when the company had a total staff of less than 100 workers, up until now when we have about 400 employees, the company has strived to maintain a family atmosphere that is dedicated to its employees, their growth and their quality of life – not only as a whole, but also on a personal and individual level – in a way that is not easy to find nowadays.”
Jack also holds his employer in high regard over its willingness to contribute to the local community as a provider of local jobs and charitable contributions.
Obliged to exalt the area he lives in, it appears that Jack plans to permanently reside in Grant County, the region that allowed him to build a prosperous career and fulfilling life.
“I love its central location. We are located next to a major corridor and are only a hop and a skip away from cities, mountains, lakes, other beautiful states such as Idaho and Oregon and a variety of absolutely beautiful scenery. On top of that, the people here are friendly and supportive in a way that you can’t often find in larger communities.”