How to assemble a fulfilling career
“I’ve always been interested in mechanics and tinkering. Taking things apart, putting them back together, making them work.” Ethan’s love of tinkering led him to a fruitful career here at Cummins, where he’s been since 2018. He’s currently Service Supervisor, managing the shop in Richmond, Virginia, with six direct reports. They serve all kinds of customers, from fleets to owner-operators to RV and even small business owners like food trucks and mobile grooming trucks. “Anywhere you think of a need for power you can find us, and we work on it all,” Ethan says.
Having been a technician himself, he understands what they need to succeed. Let’s “take apart” his career journey and learn how he got here.
When Ethan was 16 years old, he bought an old Camaro that needed a lot of work. He soon realized that washing dishes after school for $6 an hour wasn’t enough to pay someone to fix the car, so he would have to figure it out himself. He’s been working on cars and other mechanical things ever since.
After gaining experience working in a plant and operating a forklift for a few years, Ethan decided to shift his path. “I love doing mechanical work, so I started thinking about going to school.” He visited the Universal Technical Institute campus in Exton, PA and, he says, “that same day is when I found out about the Cummins Technician Apprentice Program.”
Ethan started the program in December 2017 and loved it. Then, the Covid-19 pandemic spurred a layoff at the branch that was going to affect his role—just a few weeks short of finishing his Technician Apprentice program. Ethan asked around to see if there was somewhere else in the company that he could help out while finishing the program.
The only opening was in Chesapeake, in what was then a new program, the Power Gen Technician Apprentice Program (TAP). “I became one of the few guys in the country who has been enrolled in both Tech App programs.” He graduated as class valedictorian. After graduating, he stayed for a while at Chesapeake, then saw there was an opening for a Service Supervisor in Richmond and said, “I might as well try.” That’s where he is today.
Everybody who goes through the TAP program is required to spend one 40-hour week in the parts department. That gave Ethan insight into how that aspect of the job works.
One “secret” to Ethan’s success, he says, is to set goals and timelines to get there. “Let’s say I have 40 hours to rebuild an engine,” he muses. “I would do what I needed to do to meet my goal. I know that the first day, I want to have everything torn down in eight hours. The second day, I want to have everything cleaned and ready to start going back together, the third day I want it put back together. By the fourth day, I want to start running and testing, and any repair confirmation that I needed to and on the fifth day, I’m returning my unused parts, making sure that the truck is clean and ready for the customer, my notes were in and the paperwork is good. Then I can give it to my supervisor for QC and to invoice the work.” That kind of holistic planning is paying off.
Thanks to his training and experience, Ethan has been able to put some processes in place that he’s seen work at other branches. He credits others, saying, “I’ve been very lucky to have some good mentors along the way—guys who took the time to explain things and share feedback to make things better. I like to be that mentor now to help people and answer questions. I was in that position and hungry for those answers, so I want to make their lives easier.”
When he first joined the management staff, they let him know about a technician working under him who needed a little extra support. This person was new and a bit unsure of himself but had a great attitude and was willing to learn. “That’s the kind of guy I want to mentor,” Ethan says. He worked with that person, providing feedback and acting as a sounding board until the tech gained more confidence and improved his performance times.
Even though he’s a capable leader, Ethan stays humble. “I have a lot of experience, but I don’t know everything. There are guys here who have been doing this a lot longer than me. I’m still learning.”
As Ethan’s story shows, at Cummins, there are plenty of opportunities for those who keep their eyes and ears open and are willing to learn. “I’m passionate about the line of work we do here. I like to get the customers in and out and fix their trucks and address their complaints. It’s really fulfilling to me.”