Creating the Future Workforce Through Kenton Brothers Apprenticeship Programs

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By Kristen Harper, Controller and HR Manager at Kenton Brothers, talking about apprenticeship programs for mechanical and installation technicians.

Apprenticeship: a discipline that combines on-the-job training with classroom related instruction to properly prepare an individual for a career.

Kenton Brothers Apprenticeship ProgramsKenton Brothers is ramping up new Apprenticeship programs for both mechanical and installation technicians to work within our organization.

These program are a benefit to both the employee and company for many reasons:

  1. They are a cost-effective way for employers to train their employees and employees benefit from paid on the job training.
  2. Businesses that participate in apprenticeship can make a powerful statement taking on apprentices and training the next generation of workforce.
  3. Employers have found many advantages to implementing an apprenticeship program at their company, such as increased productivity, loyalty and reliability.

Kenton Brothers is creating partnerships with many local trade schools and colleges to promote keeping talented individuals within our organization and the security industry.

Hands-on knowledge and skills are vital. There is no better way to learn the trade than through this on the job training program. An apprentice program also gives us the ability to implement the “KB Way”. As a service provider, service quality is just as important as the know-how we provide our customers. The importance of communication and giving the standard of service that is expected of a KB employee is key to organizations expectations and standards. We want our customers to feel confident that we are keeping them “All Secure since 1897”!

If you or someone you know is interested in applying for our apprenticeship program, please check out our careers page at: https://kentonbrothers.com/apprenticeship/

Mid-Missouri Team Spotlight: Stacy Wessing, Brian Nutt and David Potter

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By David Strickland, Vice President of Kenton Brothers talking about our Mid-Missouri team.

Almost two years ago, Kenton Brothers decided to expand into the Mid-Missouri Market. We recognized that the market was under served, and needed direct and local representation.

Stacy Wessing

Our first team member in this effort was a highly respected sales engineer named Stacy Wessing. Stacy was a great fit for KB. He hit the ground running. Stacy was able to identify and create strong relationships throughout the Mid-Missouri corridor within a very short time.

Kenton Brothers: Stacy Wessing

Kenton Brothers: Stacy Wessing

Brian Nutt

We then identified a leader for the area in Brian Nutt. Brian came to us with more than twenty years of experience in the security industry and a positive “can do” attitude. He has lived and worked in the Mid-Missouri market for years and saw the vision of growing our presence from the very beginning. Brian believes in strong relationships and is passionate about taking care of his customers. He has to – many of those customers are also his neighbors!

Kenton Brothers: Brian Nutt

Kenton Brothers: Brian Nutt

David Potter

Fast forward about a year and the team was growing the market so fast they needed a full time technician in the field. KB welcomed David Potter, another veteran to the security industry. He has been “a lifesaver and miracle worker.” David is the type of guy that will work until the job is done. I personally worked with David on a project that went to almost 4am one day. He never complained. That type of dedication is rare at best and incredibly valuable.

Kenton Brothers: David Potter

Kenton Brothers: David Potter

This fantastic team continues to grow their customer base like wildfire with Integrity, Dedication and Service Quality. This year, the team will exceed the two million dollar mark by maximizing relationships all over the state of Missouri. Some of their clients include, Missouri State University, The City of Columbia, The University of Missouri, Public School Retirement System, Diamond Pet food and the list goes on and on!

With Brian’s leadership, Stacy’s attention to detail and Dave’s work ethic, this team will continue to grow and make an even bigger impact on the Mid-Missouri Market. As we add additional like-minded technicians and support personnel, the sky is the limit in Mid-Missouri! As a matter of fact we have just recently hired another full time IT tech to support our customers. Paul Rudkin comes to us from the US Army and we are very excited to have him on board. We’re so very proud of this team! Please join us in congratulating them in their success!

We asked our team a tough question. Here was the response.

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By David Strickland, Vice President of Kenton Brothers talking about some amazing feedback we got from our team about working for KB.

At Kenton Brothers, we have a monthly meeting or get together to give and receive updates from every department. These meetings are a great opportunity to keep everyone aware of the progress we’re making on our goals.

At the October meeting, we challenged everyone to think about and share why the loved working at KB. We had thirty responses with thirty-eight reasons why the enjoyed being at KB. And some of them really surprised us!

Here’s what we learned.

Kenton Brothers : The Tough QuestionThe top two most common answers were: “The family culture” and “The people I work with.”

Half of the respondents talked about the culture and people they get to see every day at work. One person wrote, “ I love coming to work every day because of my KB family. I love my KB family and MY KB customers!” Another response was, “Everyone is like a family. They care and have your best interests at heart.” When talking about co-workers, one person wrote, “The support, trust and understanding of everyone, even when things go wrong.”

Other common replies included:

The company core values and helping people stay safe.
One person wrote: “I love working for a company that is built on ethics!”  While another person shared, “I love being a part of a integrity based company that produces a positive challenging team environment”.

Kenton Brothers : The Tough QuestionThen there was the big surprise… pets. Yes pets in the office was next. Ha! We’re a pet friendly office and many times you’ll see a dog or two running around. One person wrote, “I love the fact that I can bring my dog to the office with me and everyone stops by and says hi.”

The opportunity at Kenton Brothers was the next highest response. One of our fabulous technicians wrote, “I love the opportunity at KB. Not many companies are willing to help you grow personally and professionally.” Another technician wrote, “ I love the fact that I have an opportunity to work and train up to any position in the company. I get to install quality products and help protect people all over the city.”

Many of our team members mirrored those comments with notes about “having the freedom to do their job well” and “I love being a part of a 120 year old tradition.”

One of my favorite responses:

One note in particular summed up why I love working at KB. A member of our Operations team wrote:

“I love the work environment. I love the fact that I can depend on my coworkers even though I never know what my work day will be like.  Will there be pets in the office today? Will something fun be going on? Most likely yes! I also love the fact that Kenton Brothers is a company that values it’s employees!”

Well said. I couldn’t agree more!

I personally learned a great lesson from this endeavor. As a leader in a great organization, I often wrestle with how to tell our story, how to articulate how special our organization is. I feel it, but struggle with the right words to describe it. What I learned is to let our work family members tell it, and use their words to pass it on to you.

I would like to challenge you to ask the same question in your organization!

Kenton Brothers : The Tough Question Kenton Brothers : The Tough Question

Hula Hoops, Headbands and Backhands at Chicken N Pickle

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By Kristen Harper, Controller and HR Manager at Kenton Brothers talking about team building.

Chicken N Pickle

To celebrate some of our recent successes, the Kenton Brothers team took to the Pickle Ball courts at Chicken N Pickle for some good-old-fashioned fun, camaraderie and team building.

We learned quite a lot about each other during this outing. Surprisingly, the sweat headband is still considered to be quite stylish. It’s acceptable to laugh uncontrollably and heckle your fellow employee when someone makes a bad shot on the court. We also learned that hula hooping as an adult is a difficult skill to master. And you can look ridiculous trying to make it happen.

Kenton Brothers - Hula Hoop Kenton Brothers : Sweat Headband

We implemented our team building outings this year at Kenton Brothers in an effort to improve our working relationships. We want to help everyone get to know each other and enjoy the accomplishments of growing our business. These outings are a great way to reduce stress and limit internal conflicts within our organization. Relationships are strengthened, and that’s the glue that gets us through.

Kenton Brothers - Guys Hanging Out Kenton Brothers: Girls Hanging Out

We’ve found that getting together on a personal level and having fun helps us grow as an organization. We find that being closer increases our overall productivity and allows us to work together more efficiently. We look forward to our next fun outing when we can continue to celebrate our successes together!

Game on!

Kenton Brothers: Game On! Kenton Brothers: Game On!

Know someone that might want to work at Kenton Brothers? Send them to our careers page!