MENTOR, Ohio — Throughout this pandemic, news 5 has been committed to helping people get back to work.
At Component Repair Technologies in Mentor, the focus is on repairing turbine engines — for commercial aircraft, as well as engines that operate in the marine and industrial sectors.
When the pandemic hit and people stopped flying as much, the airline industry began to pivot.
And so did CRT.
“Cargo aircraft is doing very well. Everybody is ordering things online so we’ve kind of moved and pivoted to different types of engines that are powering cargo aircraft,” said John Gallagher, human resources manager at CRT.
The essential manufacturer never stopped running and now, they’re in need of more hands to help with demand.
A virtual job fair, in partnership with Ohio Means Jobs Lake County, is scheduled for Sept. 30 and is hoping to fill more than two dozen positions.
“For a larger company with 450 employees, it feels like a smaller family,” Gallagher said.
The positions range from entry-level with no experience needed to more skilled areas like machinists and engineers. And if you are starting from scratch, all of the training is provided in house.
Take Cole Wasiniak, for example.
The teenager started full time at CRT right after graduating from high school in 2019.
Within a year, he moved from entry level to CNC machining and continues his training every day.
“Most people think manufacturing, ‘I don’t want to do that — it’s dirty it’s nasty.’ It’s a totally different environment. We have A/C in the shop, it’s clean, well lit. Very technical environment,” Gallagher said.
“These are stable jobs, well-paying jobs and it’s not just them — really anyone in our manufacturing corridor, there are job opportunities out there for you right now,” said Kevin Malecek, director of economic development for the city of Mentor.
Starting pay at Component Repair Technologies is between $16 and $18 an hour, with fully paid healthcare along with bonus pay and overtime opportunities.
Sign up for the virtual job fair closes on Friday, Sept. 25. Contact Jade Villella for registration by emailing jade.villella@jfs.ohio.gov
