AGE: 52
NEW JOB: My title is materials manager, and through that I’m responsible for the acquisition, storage and distribution of spare parts for wind turbines located across the country.
OLD JOB: My old job was a logistics supervisor for railroad spare parts with TTX Company in Mira Loma, Calif.
Earl Griffis had spent his entire 17-year career at one company, doing heavy industrial work on railroad cars with TTX Co. in Washington and California. That was until February of 2009, when he became one of 200 workers laid off from the Chicago-based company’s plant in Mira Loma, Calif. His life went from “complete security to complete insecurity” within a few short months, Griffis said.
After exhausting all of his contacts in the railroad industry near Los Angeles, Griffis expanded his job search to the entire West Coast and began applying for jobs outside of his industry. Six months later, he responded to an Internet job posting for a materials manager in the wind energy industry, landed the job at Iberdrola Renewables in Portland and moved his family to Camas.
“I spent 12 years in the Northwest when my wife and I were newlyweds and our children were raised in their younger years in Tacoma,” Griffis said. “When the opportunity came to come (back), we were ecstatic.”
HOW DID YOU END UP IN WASHINGTON? My wife’s sister lives in Camas and I have teenage boys and Union High School and Camas High School fared very well in our search. I was looking for the job first and locating my family second because the responses to the job search were disheartening. I originally tried to find work in L.A., then expanded my search to the whole West Coast. The house hunt was centered on schooling because my boys are straight-A students.
BIGGEST CHANGE, SO FAR: I had to learn how a wind turbine operates and how it wears.
I LEFT BECAUSE: The plant closed. My last day was Feb. 28, 2009.
I WAS OUT OF WORK FOR: I did a job search for about six months. I started with Iberdrola in early June of 2009.
I RELIED ON: I really found inner discipline to get up every morning early and have a routine, making phone appointments in the afternoon and eventually I did have some in-person interviews. At the same time, I wanted to maintain a stable family life, so I’d quit my job search at 5. It was important to realize my family was going through the job search as much as I was.
DID YOU MAKE COLD CALLS? Most of my outgoing phone calls had to do with my contacts in the industry. I focused on touching base with them, letting them know things were positive and that I had a good, strong outlook. I just tried to keep a casual presence in the minds of others.
THIS NEW GIG IS: As the materials manager I’m responsible to develop the what, where and when of materials needed in maintenance activity across the country. I do that by using system forecasting models and historical consumption data and projected maintenance schedules.
ONE THING I MISS ABOUT THE OLD JOB IS: Probably the feeling of control. I felt very in control of my environment and my contributions to the company.
ONE THING I DON’T MISS: The year prior to losing the plant, the scrutiny over every penny spent and uncertainty. It was a lot of pressure to increase efficiency and decrease the tools you needed to get your work done. That last year was just horrible.
ONE SURPRISE ABOUT MY NEW JOB IS: How well I’ve been adapted to the corporate culture at Iberdrola Renewables. Coming from other industries, I’ve joined the group and been welcome and adapted.
I’M LUCKY THAT: I took my experiences and skill sets and found an overlapping match with an industry that required those same skills and tools. I feel very comfortable taking what I know into discussions and developing procedures and processes.
THE HARDEST PART OF THE JOB TRANSITION WAS: Moving our family. With high school students, we had a lot of friends, so saying goodbye to friends (was hard).
I LEARNED THAT: Perseverance really pays off and to be fully aware of what you can offer a company and provide an optimistic outlook. Even when I had no idea were my income would come from, I kept a solid positive outlook and that carried through in interviews.
MY ADVICE: Stay positive, you really don’t know which conversation you’ve had with someone that will lead to a job. Letting people know what you’re capable of is key. Let people know you’re not desperate, you’re in control and you have a plan. It’s a matter of communication and a little luck.
