People change jobs for a number of reasons, and Gregory Poole Equipment Company technician Bailey Fellion is an example of someone completely changing their career path.
“Going from a government-held position and an emergency-response official with a supervisory role to a diesel technician was absolutely a learning curve,” says Fellion.
Fellion has been with Gregory Poole for over a year, and he works as a diesel technician with heavy construction equipment at the company’s branch in Wilmington, North Carolina. Before returning to Wilmington, Fellion lived in upstate New York working in a role with the federal government. His cousin suggested that he should look into Gregory Poole’s career options, leading to Fellion becoming a diesel technician.
“I wouldn’t replace it for anything,” says Fellion. “And the friends and knowledge I have gained through this change has made me value every day in a whole new light.”
While Fellion spends his days working on equipment like excavators, bulldozers, and lulls, he did not have experience working as a mechanic or with diesel machinery before joining Gregory Poole. Even though Fellion did not have this type of professional mechanical experience, he had an interest in repairing things from a young age. Growing up, he spent his time working on different types of cars with his father.
“He taught me the best when I was 15 and told me I’d be needing a car soon. He had an old 1999 Saab 9-3 that didn’t run and had no brakes. He had handed me a Haynes Repair Manual and the nod to use any tools of his but with no help, only my own research,” Fellion recounts. “And the rest is basically history.”
To make the adjustment to his new career easier, Fellion took part in Gregory Poole’s Apprentice Program. In the program, Gregory Poole employees are trained through a combination of classroom and shop learning environments. Based on his experience, Fellion wholeheartedly endorses the apprenticeship.
“It allowed me to step away from the shop environment and soak in the areas of the machine attributes that I may not have known working hands-on primarily,” he says.
From the top down, Gregory Poole puts an emphasis on safety. Because of the company’s safety standards, Fellion feels safe working as a diesel technician at the Wilmington branch.
“We ensure to keep everybody in check,” he says. “Definitely, you can see that everyone is taking participation in our safety culture here.”
Having worked in multiple professional sectors throughout his career, Fellion has encountered different types of leaders and been in a supervisory position himself. He credits the supervisors at Gregory Poole for making the company a supportive place to work.
“They’ll step aside and step away from their daily duties to ensure that you are either taken care of in whatever you may be doing or assist you in solving any problem that you may have,” says Fellion.
After his experience joining Gregory Poole, Fellion has a piece of advice for anyone looking to change careers to diesel maintenance.
“Remain persistent and never turn your nose up at the opportunity to gain knowledge,” he says. “No matter where, how, or with who, chase the thirst for being better and gaining that knowledge.”