In 2016, Jordan Greene decided to switch things up in a major way. After one year working in the finance industry, Jordan left the field and took a job as a manufacturing associate at the Optical Communications plant in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
“Compensation-wise, it was a good move. But I still had the desire to get back into finance," says Jordan, who held a bachelor's degree in finance from the University of North Carolina (UNC) Greensboro at the time of the switch. “At Corning, there was no road map for me to get from operations to finance, so I had to figure it out myself."
In the years that followed, Jordan charted his own path at Corning to achieve that goal. Now, Jordan serves as assistant plant controller for Corning Pharmaceutical Technologies (CPT) in Vineland, New Jersey. Getting to that point — where Jordan is living his dream of returning to finance — required a combination of individual ambition and help from colleagues who saw strong potential in him.
Deferring the dream
Jordan spent most of his childhood in Greensboro, North Carolina. After graduating from UNC in 2015, he started his career at the North Carolina State Employees' Credit Union, the second largest credit union in the country. Jordan had worked there for a little over a year when he learned of opportunities in the manufacturing world.
“The money is good in manufacturing," Jordan says. “One thing about Corning is that they take care of their people."
In 2016, Jordan made the leap to Corning, starting as a manufacturing associate in COC's Winston-Salem plant. While at the plant, Jordan worked his way up to become a jacketing operator.
“For a jacket, think about the outer layer of the cable. It's a very, very tough process getting that jacketing on the cable," Jordan says. “It took about six months to train. After that, I became certified and started operating the line."
In 2018, Jordan became a trainer in the plant's jacketing operations. He was moving up. But he also had his eyes on a return to finance. Jordan demonstrated his abilities by trying as many roles as he could. He landed a nine-month rotation as a safety associate at the plant, starting in January 2020.
“Three months later, COVID happened. Our plant was deemed essential, so we were still running," Jordan says. “You had to balance making sure everyone feels safe and protected as it relates to COVID, while still maintaining a top level of safety."
After that role, Jordan returned to the plant floor. He also returned to his alma mater for a master's degree in economics, adding skills to his resume.
“We would have our lunch breaks, and I would go into the break room and pull out my laptop. It was tough," Jordan says.
His hard work eventually began to earn the attention of managers and HR colleagues.
They started searching for open finance roles for Jordan. This introduced Jordan to the Finance Rotational Program, which offers early-career professionals an opportunity to fast-track themselves to mid-level and management finance roles at Corning.
He landed a job in Glendale, Arizona, for his first stop as a finance analyst at Advanced Optics' Gilbert plant. Jordan had to retrain his brain in the first few weeks of the job.
“I'm used to being on the production line, running machinery. My brain had to switch to the financial side of things. I had a lot to learn," Jordan says.
But Jordan's ability to make that switch paid dividends. He could connect with manufacturing employees in a deeper way.
“Having that experience of working on the plant floor made me more comfortable engaging with operators and employees working on the manufacturing floor. I've been able to understand a lot of the manufacturing processes," Jordan says.
Staffing changes turned his three-month stint into a year of experience managing the books and ensuring the plant kept a balanced budget.
Jordan's next rotation came in internal controls for COC in Charlotte, North Carolina. After that, he worked at the Gorilla Glass plant in Harrodsburg, Kentucky.
Once he completed the rotational program, Jordan got a job as assistant plant controller at CPT's plant in Vineland, New Jersey, offering him a chance to finally settle down.
“Every plant has its own culture, so you learn about that culture. You can take what you learn at each plant and bring it to your next assignment," Jordan reflects. “And you also get to travel. In Arizona, I went to Sequoia National Forest. I went to White Sands National Park. I went to Hawaii. Overall, it was an enriching experience."
Today, Jordan is happy to be developing a home base in New Jersey. He's looking forward to helping plan events for the Corning Black Employees Network (CBEN) employee resource group during Black History Month in February, a task he works on every year.
In 2024, Jordan focused on efforts to include manufacturing employees in CBEN activities. He helped organize Black History Month quiz bowls at a dozen plants around the U.S., and he wants to include more in 2025.
“That's something that I felt really good about. I fight for the plant because I started out at the plant," Jordan says. “I feel like hourly workers should have the opportunity to participate in the events just like the salary staff. They deserve that opportunity."
