As seen in the Tried & True Winter 2023 issue
It’s a family tradition for Overmyers to begin their careers at Fratco in the same way as any other new employee, and Derek is no exception to that custom. After six months working on the line, he’s recently graduated to making custom-fabricated fittings for dual-wall pipe. After mastering that, he’ll likely move on to driving one of Fratco’s one-ton trucks.
“My dad doesn’t like asking anyone to do something he’s never done himself,” Derek explains. “That’s why he’s making sure I’ve done it all myself before I’m ever in a position to ask the same of other people.”
For Derek, there’s more to the process of working all the roles at Fratco than firsthand experience, however. It’s also about better understanding his fellow employees.
“With everything I do at Fratco, I get to learn it from an employee’s point of view. I’m wearing their shoes and experiencing the same challenges they face. I think there’s a lot of value in that.”
With a company culture that’s so tightly knit and family-oriented, the value Derek is receiving from his training goes beyond even the workplace. When asked about his personal relationships with his coworkers, Derek says, “All of the older guys I work with treat me like a son, just as I think of them as another father figure. It’s nice knowing I can always reach out to them for wisdom on anything in life.”
Of course, Derek’s relationship with his own father has never been lacking. “The fact is that my dad is my best friend,” he shares. “He supports me in everything I do, just like he supported my siblings when they chose careers outside of Fratco. He’s never put any pressure on me to fill his shoes. Instead, I put that pressure on myself because, for as long as I can remember, I always knew I wanted to be a part of Fratco.”
Read the first part of this story, “Excavating The Past,” here: fratco.com/excavating-the-past
