CAREER STORY
“The one thing I learned from them
early on was whether you like
it or not, whatever needs to be
done on any particular day, you
just have to jump in and do it.”
– Darin Werts
in life included becoming an architect, he soon realized a truth
that many of us may not have realized.
“If you think about it,” said Werts, “everything that gets made
has to be drawn first.”
After becoming a draftsman at MKT, Werts continued his education
on the weekends and eventually earned his BA in industrial
management from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, this
time with an eye toward mechanical drafting.
MKT builds pile driving equipment then sells that equipment
to dealers who turn around and sell it to end-users. The company
employs fabricators, welders, machinists, assemblers and
a host of people on the sales, marketing and management side.
Coordinating everything can be a challenge, but it’s a challenge
that Werts welcomes.
“Getting all the pieces to fit together when you’re involved with
a project and dealing with people in-house, subcontractors and
suppliers can be tricky,” said Werts. “But once it all comes together
in the end, that’s the part I enjoy most. Seeing a completed project
and knowing you were a part of it is gratifying.”
Zen-like wisdom sprinkled with common sense
Werts says that a couple of philosophies have served him well over
the years – you can’t be afraid to make difficult decisions and you
can’t let perfect be the enemy of good.
“When you’re solving a problem,” said Werts, “you have to figure
out what the best solution is. Ultimately, it may not be the right
decision, but at the time it has to be the best decision. Then you
just have to roll with it.”
As for his advice to newcomers breaking into the pile driving
industry, Werts offers two simple but valuable tips: Learn as much
as you can and do whatever needs to be done.
“You’ll make yourself more valuable that way,” said Werts.
In addition to the small business lessons he learned from his
parents and grandparents, Werts was also taught the importance
of treating everyone with the same amount of respect, regardless
of their professional title or education level. And to those aspiring
young pile drivers interested in the industry but not necessarily
interested in going to college, he has one final thought to share.
“Finding skilled workers like welders and machinists is difficult
right now,” said Werts. “For so long, parents have been telling their
kids to go to college, saying that’s the only way to make a good living.
Well, we’re starting to feel the hurt on that. And as the guys
that really know what they’re doing are beginning to retire, it’s only
going to get worse.” t
Photos courtesy of Darin Werts
Trimble Marine and Specialty Construction Systems
Stay on target for more profit.
With real-time, visual feedback of
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Construction systems improve
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marine applications.
To learn more, visit
heavyindustry.trimble.com/
finishontarget or contact
your Trimble Advanced Marine
Partner today.
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