“Many years ago, I choose to go directly from high school and enter directly into the workforce. It was a time while unmarried and with little personal financial needs I felt I could easily support myself doing whatever I enjoyed most. After a few years, I was very fortunate to find my way into a manufacturing job at Tnemec Company in North Kansas City. While I knew nothing of high performance paint coatings, I was eager to learn. I found that there were avenues for personal growth within Tnemec by following some basic and simple guidelines. Always be on time and the guy they could rely on. Give them an honest day’s work for a fair pay. And most importantly, find how you can make yourself more valuable to the company. For me, that was by going to night school to earn my degree and help bring Tnemec into the world of the “newfangled” personal computers. I started as a batch maker on the night shift, grew into an inventory control person, then an assistant to IT to integrate the computer system into the manufacturing operation. This led to becoming the Distribution Manager and eventually to my current position as Vice President of Operations. It has been a wonderful and rewarding career and I am confident that the manufacturing sector remains a great opportunity for young people today.” Learn more about Pete Cerra.
Careers of the Northland 