We had the chance to sit down with Chad Hollis, one of our stoker and general maintenance managers. During this time, we got to hear more Chad’s background and experiences as well as his beliefs about this line of work. Read on for the full interview!
Tell me about yourself and your background.
I’m originally from Tennessee and I’ve been with Southern Field for about 2 years. Before that, I worked at Detroit Stoker Company for about 10 years as a field service representative. That’s where I got involved with Southern Field, who is Detroit Stoker’s service provider.
What is your position at Southern Field?
I am the stoker and general maintenance construction manager. I staff jobs at the Luverne office, take care of all crews out of the local office, manage all stoker jobs, work with Detroit Stoker on sales, perform some inspections and manage projects on bigger jobs.
What does a typical day look like for you?
I go into the office at 6:30 am if I am in town. I start with scheduling, proposals, travel time to jobs for inspections, and then I might do some traveling with the Detroit construction manager to look at new jobs.
What is your favorite part about your job?
The people! I really enjoy the customers, and the guys that work for us are a great group of very talented craftsmen. I started as an apprentice back in 1992, so I have grown up in this industry. These guys are family to me. Southern Field is a corporation, but they still have that family feel.
What is the most challenging thing about your job?
Time. There’s never enough of it. Also, constantly feeling needed in so many different places, and everything’s got to be done, so it’s just hard to fit everything in. Jobs are spread out all over the country, so it can be tough to logistically get where you need to be and also take care of the office work.
There is a lot of work that goes into my job that most people don’t see, like paperwork and reports on top of the construction work. But the job I have now is my greatest achievement with this company—it’s a pretty new role for me. They chose me for this role because of my qualifications. I have a background in construction and a great understanding of what Southern Field does. The stoker part of my work is actually a big part of a small market—not a lot of people have experience with stokers, and most people don’t even know what they are.
*
Thank you, Chad, for sharing your expertise and passion with Southern Field. We appreciate your service not just to this company but to the entire industry!
Southern Field maintains vital equipment for the energy, pulp and paper, cement and lime, and steel and metals industries. Contact our team for more information on how professional, preventative plant maintenance can cut costs and risk – and save money.