Ken Uplinger has been selected as Brookville Equipment Corporation’s Employee of the Month for February.
Ken has been employed at Brookville Equipment Corporation for the past eight years as a Mechanical Assembler. He has spent most of his time in final assembly, but he has also lent a helping hand around the shop in other ways when needed, like plowing, running the forklift, picking up parts or anything he is asked to do. He is always willing to go the extra mile to help out.
Ken’s duties include reading prints and building units with the parts that have been machined by BROOKVILLE or provided by other suppliers. His favorite part of his job is its ever changing – no day is ever the same. “At BROOKVILLE, we are always doing something different. Today, I was working on a radiator, but I might not touch another one for a month.” While working at BROOKVILLE, Ken has been able to expand his skill set with numerous mechanical skills. Ken likes to live by the motto, especially when it comes to the work he does at BROOKVILLE, “If you are ever done learning here, you aren’t trying to learn.” There is always a new project or challenge at BROOKVILLE. One of the most important lessons he has learned from working here is to take your time and make sure you do the job right.
When Ken first started at BROOKVILLE, he wasn’t familiar with how to read the prints, but the amazing supervisors here took the time to train him properly and get him familiar with the work that is done, so now, Ken has trained between 10 and 12 employees in the same position. He is able to stay motivated by the constant movement. He expressed every day is different and with training new employees, it keeps the days interesting. Ken enjoys sharing his knowledge with the new hires and sharing his love for BROOKVILLE. Ken had previous experience in the mining industry, but with surface mining rather than underground, where he was a heavy equipment operator. He operated equipment like rock trucks, dozers, and rubber tired units.
Ken’s favorite type of equipment to work on are the mining units and heritage streetcars. His favorite project, however, was the Lookout Mountain Incline Cars for Chattanooga, TN. He had the opportunity to travel down for a repair after first being installed, and he said it was one of his favorite experiences. He is excited to go back in a couple weeks for another repair job. These cars also presented him with the biggest challenge since working at BROOKVILLE. Due to the cars being for an incline, they had to be built on the flat ground, but at an angle. “These cars are so unique and hopefully BROOKVILLE has another opportunity to produce something like this again. I went down there for a repair and I would recommend it to anyone who has the opportunity to go. It was so fascinating and cool to see,” said Ken. He expressed his appreciation to work for a company who gives him the opportunity to travel and ride the equipment he helped build.
During his free time, Ken loves to mow and he is a member of the Coolspring Power Museum. In the summer, he mows 35 acres with his tractor for the Power Museum.