Frederick “Freddie” Thomas is always smiling, especially when he arrives at work and turns the hallway lights on just as the sun begins to crest over the horizon.
“I always remember the old saying – ‘If you’re early, you’re on time, and if you’re on time, you’re late,’” Freddie laughs as he shares.
For the UAB Department of Surgery team, everyone knows Freddie is very much on time for every call, meeting, or departmental event.
As Human Resources Partner Generalist Lead, Freddie is a people-person and works tirelessly to support the department’s missions of education, research, and clinical endeavors by serving as the foundation of all personnel support.
“I really like that at UAB, we all get to work together for the goal of ‘getting well’ – for physicians, for care teams, and for patients,” Freddie adds. “As a department, we further that mission, and I’m grateful to help the people who are changing lives.”
From the many hellos Freddie gives as he walks through the hallway, you’d think he’s been here for the entirety of his career; however, this era is relatively new after a full life spent in the fast-paced world of manufacturing.
The Early Years: Football, Perseverance, and Round-Trip Travel
At the young age of 18, Freddie knew hard work was the key to success for any goal.
“In the fall of 1983, I walked on to the Troy University football team, and I knew that, if I wanted to earn a starting spot on the team, I had to be the best at what I did,” he remembers.
With his unmatched dedication, he had no problem achieving that milestone, and, by the next fall, he was starting games as a university athlete with a scholarship to show for his determination.
By 1988, Freddie had graduated with his Bachelor of Business Administration and would soon be off to Amoco Fabrics and Fibers, as a Production Supervisor, and later to Rheem Manufacturing, where he would be responsible for a team of over 1,000 individuals as an Assistant HR Manager.
This challenge of acclimation would prove no match for Freddie.
“I like to get lost and find myself,” he shares. “I love meeting with everyone and understanding who they are and learning how I can help them.”
Freddie’s talent for understanding the human element of management in high-stakes environments was quickly recognized. Within a few years, Freddie and his young family were loading up and moving to Columbia, South Carolina, where he would lead as a Senior Human Resources Representative for Bose Corporation.
“As I continued to progress in my career, I made it my mission to understand how each person was doing, not just what they were doing,” he says.
Freddie’s career continued to shine, and, before he knew it, he received an offer to finally move back to his home state to the then-new Honda Manufacturing of Alabama Plant in Lincoln.
Arriving Back in Alabama
“At the time, we had a two-month-old and two other small children. My wife and I agreed that this move would be our last across state lines,” Freddie shares.
They held true to that promise, and Freddie would work at Honda for over two decades and watch his children grow up in Alabama. He and his wife, Deborah, now have three adult children: Kelsie (31), Jonah (27), and Jalen (25).
While thinking back on his time there, Freddie says, “While I was there, we only referred to one another as associates, instead of employees. We were all partners and that contributed to the feeling of ownership within the organization.”
After 23 years of dedicated service, he decided it was time for a new journey and retirement. Freddie refers to this time as his sabbatical. For the entirety of 2023, he prioritized doing the things he enjoyed most – coaching football as a volunteer staff member and substitute teacher at Oak Mountain Elementary, Middle, and High School.
Despite the immensely rewarding time spent supporting students, Freddie felt like he was missing something in the void of the hectic cadence of manufacturing.
When he walked into the doors of UAB’s Boshell Diabetes Building for his first day of work in the UAB Department of Surgery in June of 2024, the missing pieces fell into place.
“Everyone here is always friendly and willing to help. It’s been an honor to learn about the nine surgical divisions our HR team supports. I’ve never had a bad moment here,” Freddie shares.
After almost two years at UAB, Freddie has realized that manufacturing isn’t altogether different from the all-encompassing academic medicine environment. He enjoys watching new faculty grow into their own as surgeon-scientists and can often be seen on his lunch breaks discussing novel procedures excitedly with members of the Division of Transplantation, who share the office suite nearest his.
“The people here are the reason I want to get up and go to work,” he says.
To his peers and HR cohort, the sentiment is reciprocated.
“Freddie represents the best of what it means to be a UAB HR representative,” says Department of Surgery Finance and Administrative Director Phillip Bivens. “He brings an attention to procedural detail with an expert ability to connect with individuals over a variety of topics, supporting both their development and the entirety of the department.”
Leaving a Legacy
Around the same time that Freddie was embarking on his journey into his second career, he received a call from his alma mater. After recognizing him for his exemplary contributions to the field of human resources, Troy University followed with a proposition that he return on a volunteer basis to the university as a member of the prestigious board of trustees.
After being appointed by Governor Kay Ivey and approved by both the Alabama House of Representatives and Alabama State Senate, he was officially one of 12 constituents steering the future of education at the public institution. With a term of 12 years, with 10 years remaining, Freddie will serve on the board of trustees until 2035.
“Over 43 years ago, when I was sitting in a classroom myself, I never thought I’d get to decide the next major or educational wing of my alma mater,” Freddie reflects. “I keep asking myself – what will student life be like and how can we best prepare the next generation?”
In many ways, serving as a trustee is the culmination of Freddie’s core mantra throughout his career – eliminating noise to focus on people and their lives.
“I think the most important thing, no matter where I go, is just to lead with who I am – not with any title or task. Get to know who you work with, both in your office and any other role you have. At the end of the day, it’s all about how we treat people,” says Freddie as he smiles.