Choate Engineering Performance Holds Work Interview for Local Youth
Choate Engineering Performance held a work interview on Friday, January 6, 2023, to introduce teen boys and girls across the county to the business and potential career opportunities at the company. Cass Choate and his wife, Abrianna, started the company 12 years ago in Whiteville, Tennessee and moved to its current Bolivar location (1033 Lake Street, Bolivar, 38008) in 2021. Since its inception and last move, it now has 35 employees, and is expected to continue to grow.
“We are expanding in offerings and growing. Currently, we employ around 35 people. Our goal and commitment are to bring in, over the next five-and-one-half years, 100 jobs, so we are doing our best to bring those jobs from within the community,” said owner Cass Choate, who has been in manufacturing for about 10 years. “I want to start with today’s youth by giving them an opportunity to learn something they normally would not have access to in a small town like where we are, and expand their skill set for a good paying job.”
Applicants were asked to attend the one-hour work interview, and to wear clothes “that can get dirty”. Much of the work employees do daily is hands-on. The company began as a “simple repair shop” and now offers more services and products to satisfy its growing customer base.
“It has expanded since then through necessity. We have CNC machines, build diesel engines, and manufacture parts. We do reverse engineering, 3-D scanning, 3-D printing, and design rapid prototyping,” said Cass. “We are open to the public and have wholesale distributorships around the country that sell and distribute our engines.”
Cass is intentional in his desire to encourage youth to consider trades as a career goal option. He realized the four-year college degree route, although a good option for many people, was not the path for him. Cass enjoys working with his hands, machinery (how to put it together and how it works), and problem solving. Those interests and skills have enabled him to create a business and carve out a career doing something he loves.
The work interview was a bit different where there were not as many questions and answers, and more hands on, using critical thinking skills, and solving problems with different activities set up throughout the warehouse.
“They will be in the cylinder head department and are going to be learning about remanufacturing cylinder heads for diesel engines, and CNC operations. Some will work in our disassembly area,” said Cass. “They are going to be learning about the mechanics of the diesel engine, the different parts and components, and the necessity and imperativeness and cleanliness for those said components.”
Although one hour was not a lot of time for the applicants to experience all areas of the company, it did give Cass and his employees an opportunity to learn quite a bit about the young people who attended the work interview.
“The activities they will do will test their aptitude for mechanical ability, their problem-solving skills, and their ability to follow directions,” said Cass.
One of the first “tests” the people interested in attending the work interview had to pass was being on time for the interview, which started promptly at 3:30 p.m. Ten of the interested people passed that test.
Some of the activities included cart assembly, relocating pallets in the warehouse, and counting and sorting machine parts.
Cass did note career opportunities at Choate Engineering Performance are not limited to those who desire to work on diesel engines. There are several different departments that currently exist as well as ones that will be added as the company grows.
“We have sales, marketing, programming, and design departments. We have even started working on robotics and electronics,” said Cass. “My job as a boss is to learn what a person’s skill set is and find them a place in the company where they can grow. I continue to learn and that is what I want for my employees, because it makes us a better company.”
Cass continued to share that he believes all areas of a company are connected and it is important to understand how a person’s job affects the next thing down the road.
“One skill that every job requires is problem solving. Whatever field you go into, there’s going to always be one thing that is the same. You’re going to find a problem when you get there (that is why you were hired),” said Cass. “It is problem solving skills period at its core, the crux of the matter. If you boil it down to its most simple base form, it is problem solving skills in every aspect.”
The youth who attended the interview received payment for their time and appeared to have enjoyed the experience.
“They showed us some of the parts on a diesel truck and how it works. That is something I have been wanting to learn for a while,” said Tristen Givens, a senior at Gateway Christian Schools.
Parents who brought their children to the interview were able to sit in the breakroom and shared some thoughts about the opportunity.
“I’m just excited for the opportunity for the kids that Choate Engineering Performance gave them as young adults to come out and learn a skill or trade and just to grow and learn something they can use in the future,” said Canedra Henderson who brought her 14-year-old son, Eric Malena.
Another mother shared her thoughts.
“My son is 16 years old and he drives. I don’t have to worry about him having to travel to Jackson or Somerville or any of the surrounding counties to get a good paying job,” said Candra Woods who brought her 16-year-old son, Manuel Donis, III. “He’s able to have the opportunity to interact with others as an adult and learn the responsibilities of actually having a job and getting rewarded for it as a paying job.”
Choate Engineering Performance will hold another work interview on Friday, January 13, 2023, at 3:30 p.m. You may contact Abrianna Choate at (901) 553-9847 for more information.
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