In the first installment of our brand-new video series spotlighting the career growth of Altec associates, Brandon Abrams, a production manager at our Birmingham location, shared his story. Brandon will be the first associate to walk us through his career journey at Altec and what led him to where he is today.
Career Beginnings
Brandon joined Altec as a co-op while he was a college student. Having grown up in Birmingham, he looked for co-op programs in the area to grow his career. He saw Altec during his search and decided to apply after reading about Altec’s history. Brandon went on to complete three co-op rotations, working through applications engineering, manufacturing engineering and quality engineering and getting a holistic view of plant operations.
Brandon says he knew early on in his co-op experience that he wanted to return to Altec, especially because of the relationships and camaraderie on the team. “During my co-op interview, I remember sitting in a conference room — actually the same one right next to my office now — and hearing leadership talk about how much they enjoyed working here,” he said. “The positivity and culture were unlike anything I experienced elsewhere. Once I had the opportunity to return full-time, it was a no-brainer.”
Opportunities & Resources
Brandon shared that Altec’s Learning and Development Library made growth and improvement easy for him with self-led courses available. He also cited participation in Altec’s Leadership Workshop, Supervisor Boot Camp and Mentor Program as resources that helped him understand different parts of the business and build strong connections.
Additionally, through the Altec Educate Program and Altec’s partnership with UAB, Brandon earned his MBA. “I’ve been very fortunate to use these resources not only for my own growth but also to support the development of my team,” he said. Brandon also recently furthered educational opportunities for college students with his involvement in the Collegiate Engineering Innovation Challenge. This challenge gives college students hands-on engineering experience, something that Brandon said originally drew him to Altec.
Leadership Growth
After graduating, Brandon returned to Altec as a manufacturing engineer focused on waste elimination initiatives, next transitioned to a quality engineering role and was then promoted to a leadership role as a quality technician supervisor. He then moved into engineering as a manufacturing engineering supervisor. Today, he serves as production manager, overseeing paint and mechanical assembly departments and focusing on safety, quality, on-time delivery, cost and overall operational performance.
From the start of his career, Brandon has had a desire to make an impact on people. From solving problems during his co-ops to managing and leading his teams, his goal has been to help others — and he shared that Altec has always given him the opportunities and the tools to do so. “From designing concepts to actually building and welding parts, seeing ideas come to life is incredibly exciting,” he said. “If you show initiative and a desire to make an impact, Altec gives you the resources to make it happen.”
For more information about career opportunities at Altec, please visit jobs.altec.com.
