Grow With Us Series: The People of Felling, Juan Juárez, Pintor principal/Lead Painter

Juan joined the Felling Trailers’ team in the summer of 2013 and celebrated nine years with the company this past June. Juan was initially hired as an Assembler in the Finishing/Final Assembly department but quickly transitioned to the Paint team when the opportunity arose. Before his time with Felling, Juan had worked as a Diesel Mechanic’s Assistant for several years, gaining general repair and maintenance experience.

Learning on the Job

Juan spent his first few months at Felling Trailers, learning and working as part of the Finishing team. While part of the Finishing team, Juan started to learn the processes of running wiring for trailer lighting, brakes, decking, and other optioned trailer accessories. Finishing/Final Assembly is the last stop of the production cycle for a trailer. Once the team has completed the final assembly process, each trailer goes through a final inspection before being cleared to ship.

When Opportunity Knocks

Not long after being with the company, Juan was given an opportunity to transition to the Paint & Blast team. “Lyle (Mader), the Shop Supervisor at that time, was asking for volunteers to move to Paint because they needed more people for that department. I had some paint experience from when I worked as a Diesel Mechanic’s Assistant, and I was up for the challenge, and it was better pay,” said Juan. Felling Trailers have been said to have one of the best paint finishes in the industry and back it with a 3-year warranty. Black is the standard color of any Felling trailer, with an additional eight optional colors to choose from. Unlike many other manufacturers, Felling also offers clear coat, metallic, and color matches upon request. Fast forward seven years, Juan was promoted to Lead Painter for Felling’s dayshift production team. Juan is known to be the “go-to guy” for the best application of metallic paints with his precision in application.

“People respect each other here, the jobs each of us do, and how we do them.”

– Juan Juárez, Lead Painter at Felling Trailer

Leading by Example

As the Paint Lead, Juan provides training instruction to new team members as many have little to no paint experience. Felling provides an on-the-job training environment where new members will shadow a senior painter, like Juan, for a set training period. “We have painters with many years of experience and knowledge and a willingness to share that knowledge,” said Bob Toews, Felling Trailers’ Paint Team Supervisor. Along with training, Juan also completes quality inspections on painted trailers before decals are applied to ensure the proper adhesion and coverage of the trailer on all surfaces.

Respect For Each Other

When asked why Juan chose Felling to be where he worked, he said, “People respect each other here, the jobs each of us do, and how we do them. Plus, it’s close to home.” Since joining the Felling Trailers team 9-years ago, Juan has seen and been a part of the changes and improvements in Felling’s paint systems. “We have many more buildings now than when I started in 2013. The Finishing department was part of the main building where Project Weld is today. Now Finishing is across the road and much bigger,” said Juan. We are glad to have Juan as part of our team. Thank you, Juan!

Learn more about Joining the Felling Trailers Team!

Are you interested in becoming part of the Felling Team? Learn more about a career at Felling Trailers and grow with us!

This is the twenty-fourth feature in our “Grow with Us” series.  Read the other stories about Chris Senger, Senior Material handler, Ron Funk, Machinist, Johnny Woodman, Lead Welder, Lloyd Shoutz, Maintenance Technician, Warren Weber, Product Manager, Scott Brown, Parts & Service Supervisor, Jim Robischion, Accounting Coordinator, Wade Skillings, Lead Machine Operator, Jacob Meyer, Inside Trailer Sales, Bob Vangstad, (retired) Painter, Chad Steinhofer, Lead Welder, Benji Hudalla, Final Inspector, Nathan Uphus, Sales, Sheri Leonard, Human Resource & Safety Coordinator, Greg Waletzko, (retired)Quality Assurance Manager at Felling Trailers, and Kristie Moritz, Scheduling Coordinator.