ALLEN COUNTY, OH (WLIO) - He has been interested in big machinery most of his life and plans to make a career driving them. Holly Geaman introduces us to Elida High School senior Tanner Layman, December's OhioMeansJobs Student Employee of the Month.
Congratulations to Tanner Layman, the December OhioMeansJobs Student of the Month!
Tanner Layman's love of big machinery came at a young age, helping his father with his construction business. As a senior at Elida and attending the construction equipment technology program at Apollo Career Center, Layman is working at R.D. Jones Excavating at their Shawnee Yard.
"For 2 weeks I'm out at Apollo. I do my core classes in the morning and then I go to my lab in the afternoon. Once those two weeks are up, I go to work for RD Jones, and I work there for 2 weeks, and it's just kind of a rotation that goes back and forth until I graduate," said Tanner Layman, a senior at Elida High School and Apollo Career Center.
Layman loads trucks that come in with what they need, from stone to dirt.
Jim Schilling is Layman's supervisor at R.D. Jones Excavating and says that the young man has been a benefit to the company from the time he first stepped foot in the yard.
"Tanner has been a wonderful employee since the first day on the job. He's a great communicator, a listener; he has always asked what I've needed him to do. He comes to work, jumps right in. If there has been any problems, he has always taken care of them," said Jim Schilling, R.D. Jones Excavating safety manager and Shawnee Yard manager.
The Shawnee Yard houses all the stone, concrete, and asphalt that they crush and resell. Layman loads trucks that come in with what they need, from stone to dirt. Not only does he run the big equipment, but he also takes time in the office.
"He has made a spreadsheet that helps me out with billing tremendously. He's been wonderful, and he's going to be a great asset to this company," added Schilling.
Layman is working at R.D. Jones Excavating at their Shawnee Yard.
OhioMeansJobs works alongside students like Layman with resume writing, creating a career profile, and can even provide tools of the trade.
Layman puts a lot of hours in between classes at Apollo and working at RD Jones, but he says he still has time to be a teenager. One of those is still being involved in his FFA program at Elida, and his advisor is glad he is.
"He's been a 3-year officer for the FFA, and just about any time I ask him to do something, you can say he's about as reliable as possible," stated Mitch Oen, Elida FFA adviser.
Layman says he is thankful for all the opportunities that he has been given in preparing for life after high school.
"As soon as I was old enough to get into Apollo and start getting some certifications and get out into the workforce, I took advantage of it and started working," stated Layman.
Congratulations to Tanner Layman, the December OhioMeansJobs Student of the Month!
