Growing up, Thomas Speer really didn’t think manufacturing was for him. In part, that was because he thought a job in manufacturing meant taking a spot on the production line and spending the rest of his career there. And while he knew people in his hometown of Greensburg who loved the production line, he didn’t think that role matched his interests.
So he got a certificate in HVAC/R from the University of Northwestern Ohio. But it only took about a year for him to realized that a career in HVAC wasn’t what he was looking for. Specifically, it lacked the long-term opportunities and job security he wanted, so he reconsidered and made a move to the manufacturing space. And he hasn’t looked back for a moment.
Joining kitchen and bathroom accessories manufacturer Delta Faucet Company in 2013 as a material handler, Thomas soon learned why so many people in his community liked working there. When he showed he was a hard worker who could be trusted to get the job done, he was given a new position as a vacuum former operator. When he started demonstrating leadership abilities, the company moved him into supervisory roles (he recently rose from team leader to group leader, and now oversees about 75 to 80 people). When his bosses saw a passion for continuous improvement, they asked him to drive that process. Along the way, he’s shifted from an hourly position to a salary role, and from what he felt was simply a job to a career with long-term opportunities.
While Thomas is praised by his supervisors for his technical abilities and leadership, he sort of shrugs and says much of his success comes from a competitive spirit, hands-on approach and desire for new challenges. He also credits others at Delta for encouraging him, especially his leaders for their willingness to teach him and guide his growth.
For all those reasons, Thomas is quick to suggest that more young people should consider careers in manufacturing, especially those who are interested in bringing ambition to the workplace. “Anybody who has a drive to do better every day, get better every day, to improve and look for areas of improvement, could do well in manufacturing,” he says. “I would definitely push them to manufacturing.”
