Marvin has been the Service Technician at McDonough Manufacturing for 22 years. We recently caught up with Marvin to chat about the sawmill industry, what he enjoys most about his job and what advice he has for those entering the profession.
Tell us about yourself and how you came to McDonough.
I have been a Service Technician at McDonough Manufacturing since December 1998. My previous job was selling insurance, which I wasn’t particularly fond of. I went to the unemployment office to ask if there were any other jobs available and I was told there was one job – at a saw shop. So I took that job and that led me to where I am today.
What do you think your experience as a sawfiler brings to your current job?
I was a head saw filer for 18 years. I am thankful for this experience because it allows me to bring a lot to the table. The ability to go into a filing room and look at the saws helps me identify where the problem might lie is something others may not be able to do because they wouldn’t know what to look for. With today’s trend toward automation, I still feel as though it is extremely important to have saw filers who understand the process. Even if a machine does most of the work for you, you still have to understand why it’s doing what it’s doing to make sure it’s being done correctly.
Do you have a favorite machine that you like to work on?
I really don’t – I enjoy all of them. I was once asked what my three hobbies were, I replied “sawmilling, sawmilling and sawmilling”.
What’s the best part of your job?
The best part of my job is meeting new people and traveling the country. I like challenges – if there is a problem, I want to find out what’s wrong and help the customer. There’s always so much more to learn; if you think you know everything then you need to hang it up and retire because no one does. The most important thing in this industry is to be adaptable. People do things differently and there may be more than one way to do it. My experience visiting many sites, and seeing the way people run their equipment has helped me to be able to solve problems by taking that experience and applying it to current challenges.
What do you think has been the most significant change you’ve seen over the course of your career?
The biggest change is definitely technology. There has been a lot of automation of processes, which has brought some challenges for workers in the industry. You need people who are willing to change with the technology and adapt to improved ways of doing things.
What’s the best advice you could give someone starting out in this industry?
In order to be successful, you have to have interest and pride in your work. You have to have a desire to learn – never stop learning.
L-R: Matt Tietz (VP); Sue Tietz (President/CEO); Mike McAvoy (Sales Manager); Marvin Evans