3 min read
After over two decades and countless roles, Thomas Jackson is still learning, building and passing his experience forward.
Ask Thomas Jackson what he has done during his career at CTR, and the easier question might be what hasn't he done.
He started on the crane. He moved into the fabrication shop. He welded, fabricated, worked in the valve shop, helped with painting and sandblasting, returned to the crane when the company needed him there, and eventually found his way back to fabrication.
As Thomas puts it, he has spent his career going wherever he was needed.
This November, Thomas will celebrate 21 years with CTR. Today, he manages the fabrication shop and a six-person team, but more than two decades into his career, he is still learning.
“I'm constantly learning more about the cryogenic industry,” he said.
From Doing the Work to Teaching It
Thomas came to CTR with a background in welding and fabrication, but not cryogenics. Over the years, he learned the business from just about every angle.
Today, his team fabricates stands, panels and other equipment while also taking on specialized projects such as pump skids and sumps. Thomas keeps production moving, manages schedules and inventory needs, and makes sure his team is prepared for whatever comes through the shop.
Part of that preparation is cross-training. Thomas intentionally teaches his six-person team different roles so the shop is not dependent on one person for a particular skill or task. If someone is out, another team member can step in and keep the work moving.
Over time, Thomas is essentially creating more “Swiss Army knives” around him. Employees develop skills beyond a single responsibility, giving CTR greater flexibility to shift resources as production needs change. For customers, that depth of knowledge helps support a shop that can respond quickly and keep projects moving without unnecessary disruption.
For Thomas, though, cross-training is about more than efficiency. It is also a way to pass forward what he has learned over nearly 21 years.
When asked about his biggest accomplishment at CTR, Thomas did not point to a complicated fabrication or major project. He talked about the people he has trained.
“I guess being able to train a lot of these younger people that come in,” he said. Some arrive with welding education already behind them, but Thomas sees an opportunity to teach them more than the technical side of the trade. He wants to pass along the practical skills that come from years of experience.
That mentorship is particularly valuable as CTR continues developing new skilled trades talent through programs such as its welding apprenticeships with a local technical college.
Still Learning After 21 Years
Thomas has also had opportunities to see where the work leaving his shop eventually goes. Field installations have taken him as far as France and to projects in Texas, exposing him to applications he never encountered before entering cryogenics.
One connection became particularly personal. Thomas's mother uses oxygen, and before joining CTR, he said he never would have known that the company builds equipment used to fill oxygen cylinders. After spending years focused on the fabrication side of the business, seeing where that equipment goes has given him a greater appreciation for the impact of the work.
For Thomas, there is a sense of pride in knowing that something he and his team build in the shop can ultimately support applications people depend on every day. Whether the equipment is headed to an industrial facility, an aerospace project or supporting oxygen supply, understanding the end use has made the work more meaningful and given him another reason to keep learning.
It is part of what has kept the industry interesting to him. Even after more than two decades, there is always something else to learn.
And when asked what has kept him at CTR for so long, Thomas's answer was simple:
“We're just a big family. I mean, I love coming to work.”
Twenty-one years after arriving at CTR, Thomas knows how to build the equipment, keep a shop moving and step into just about any role that needs him. Now, some of his most important work is making sure the people coming behind him know how to do it too.
For CTR's Swiss Army knife, the next thing to build is the next generation.
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CTR Cryo is a TransTech Group company, offering opportunities to learn, grow and build a long-term career across a diverse family of businesses. Interested in growing your career with CTR or another TransTech Group company? Explore our current opportunities on the TransTech Group Careers page.
