Curtis M.
“Windemuller is the only place I’ve ever worked. I’ve been here ever since high school, when one of my instructors asked me if I was interested in taking on an internship. I was attending the Career Tech Center here in Traverse City at the time, not really because I saw myself having a career in the trades, but because I liked the idea of getting off school campus every day. I jumped into the Electrical Occupations program over there at the beginning of my junior year, and things snowballed from there. Senior year, one of my instructors was a former Windemuller employee, and he gave me my first connection to the company.
I worked that internship throughout my senior year. I was mostly just loading up materials and driving them out to job sites, but I loved the work and the atmosphere of the company. When I graduated from high school and my internship ended, Windemuller offered me a full-time job. I took it.
That was 2002 and a lot of things have changed since then. I started out working in the field as a first-year apprentice. I was one of the only apprentices in the Traverses City office at the time, so I got to know a lot of people and work a lot of different types of jobs. I had so many mentors in those years, and I took a little knowledge from all of them. It helped me pass my journeyman’s test and move up the ranks to become a foreman.
Eventually, I moved into the office and became an account manager. These days, I work with customers, learn their needs, and figure out how Windemuller can meet those needs. It’s the perfect job for me, because I get to work face-to-face with people and because every day is a little bit different.
I don’t see any reason that I’d ever leave Windemuller. This company really values its employees and is committed to helping them grow. I always know that, if there’s some sort of training or development opportunity that would help me reach the next level, Windemuller would be receptive to that. The team atmosphere here is also just so incredible. Everyone is willing to teach and mentor one another. Without that spirit of mentorship, I wouldn’t be where I am today. It makes me humble, and it makes me want to do my part to mentor the next generation of guys like me.”