CNC Lead Operator

“It is incredibly rewarding and interesting to see pieces come to life from start to finish. I enjoy being able to produce CADs of each part and then seeing the finished product. I also really enjoy the people in this industry and have learned so much from my colleagues. My career gives me my purpose. The fabrication bay was next, and I was assigned to our CNC pipe cutter, which was hard at first, but got easier within a week. Now I am learning a little bit of sales, programing CNC machines, maintenance, as well as going through additional schooling at Joliet Junior College.

I also get to work with so many people who are always welcoming and happy to be at work. That alone can really change the overall environment into one that just makes everything so much better. J.H. Botts is not just a job; it is a place of growth and people who are always going to help you out.

I have chosen a career in manufacturing because it was a path in which I felt I had the best potential to grow and achieve what I could not anywhere else. Having taken many classes in high school for various different potential jobs, I found I did the best in the manufacturing classes I took. I did great in my woodworking and small engines classes, so I decided that I would try out the welding class at the vocational school that my high school was partnered with. My welding class at Grundy Area Vocational Center was a rough start, I was the worst welder by far and I did not think I would be any good at it. However, I kept trying and I eventually started looking like the better kids in my class. I even made it to the welding state competition in 2022 and earned second place. That was when I knew that manufacturing, especially in the welding field was the route that I had the highest potential to grow and excel in.”