Tabler Station Human Resources Leader, Procter & Gamble
By Jennifer Jett Prezkop
Family has played a major role in the life of Keith Busby. Growing up with an older brother, he was taught at an early age about competition, and being watched by his younger brother, he quickly recognized the importance of leadership. His parents both encouraged community service and even participated alongside him, setting a strong example through action. When Busby was selected for an internship at Procter & Gamble (P&G) in 2008, his wife and children relocated with him to New York City for three months, a move that ultimately launched his career in human resources. When P&G asked him to move to West Virginia in 2016 to serve as the site human resources leader of the largest manufacturing plant start-up in the company’s history, his wife and children willingly pulled up roots and made plans for a new home in Harpers Ferry, WV.
“My family means the world to me,” says Busby. “With them, I can do anything, live anywhere and become anything.”
It was in high school that Busby decided he would follow in the footsteps of his father, John, a business owner and accountant. After earning his bachelor’s degree in history at Brigham Young University, Busby went to work with his father, who was franchising Popeyes restaurants in Texas and Arizona. It was during that time that he got his first taste of human resources, which would become his passion. It also led him back to school to earn an MBA. Once selected as an intern for P&G, Busby’s career path was set in stone.
Busby credits his first P&G boss, Eric Hankins, with helping him get to where he is today because of the way Hankins taught him, coached him and enabled him with trial by fire. “He allowed me to essentially do everything that most employees so new to the company would never have the opportunity to do,” he says. “He allowed me to jump in and lead the work, and then every day we would debrief how it went, what I learned and what I’d change to do better. By doing so, my confidence soared and a foundation was laid for how I would operate with people first in mind.”
Things have not all been smooth sailing for Busby. He was diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis in 2013, and the once active and energetic man struggled with physical pain and frustration. Finding the right treatment plan was only part of what pulled him out of this dark place; he also gives credit to his wife, Anika, and his faith.
“My wife and my faith were the anchors that helped me stand up when I fell and helped me remember life is more than what your body is,” he says. “Through that experience, I learned that when you hit rock bottom—and everyone does in one way or another—you have to get back up and move forward.”
This is the attitude he also applies to the organizations and individuals he supports in his spare time. Busby serves as a youth leader at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, where he helps the youth of the congregation grow, learn and recognize the importance of life. Being the father of six, he has always been active with children’s community sports. He has coached soccer and basketball for the last 10 years, and he currently coaches for the American Youth Soccer Organization. He also sits as a board member for the Blue Ridge Community & Technical College Foundation, United Way of the Eastern Panhandle and the Martinsburg-Berkeley County Chamber of Commerce.
“I love to serve and help the community,” he says. “I believe where much is given, much is required. I also believe it’s important to lift those around you and do your part to improve your community.”
If Busby could write a note to his younger self, the message he would share would be one that West Virginians everywhere could benefit from hearing. “I would say to never give up, to stand up when you fall down and to persist in trying again,” he says. “I would say the game isn’t against others—it’s against yourself to improve and become the best person you can. One of the only ways to do that is to serve and help others.”
