Quality Products Welder Solomon Emert Becomes Compass Precision Employee of the Month
Solomon Emert received his first introduction to welding early during high school. One of his neighbors was a retired master welder and showed the young Solomon how to use an oxy-acetylene torch. The lesson left a lasting impression on him.
“I like the whole aspect of getting to work with my hands, and being able to physically build whatever project it is and then put it altogether,” he said. “Using electricity to melt metal or to fuse metal together, I think that’s pretty wild that someone can do that and make it look really good.”
So when life circumstances returned Solomon home to Washington state after spending a year studying mechanical engineering at the University of Idaho, he turned his attention to welding. He enrolled in a two-year course at Olympic College, and, upon completion of the course, gained an ETA in welding technology with several related certifications.
The hard work paid off. Compass Precision has named Solomon its Employee of the Month for May.
Compass Precision is recognizing Solomon as its Employee of the Month less than a year into his tenure. Quality Products & Machine, a Compass Precision operating company, hired Solomon to bolster its welding team during the summer of 2019. In addition to welding, he also performs fabrication tasks and has operated equipment in the machine shop.
Prior to joining Quality Products, Solomon worked for a company called Crystal Distribution Inc. He started at one of their locations in Washington and then moved to North Carolina to work at their factory in Rock Hill, SC last year. But his position at Crystal Distribution Inc. included the night shift and welding galvanized sheet metal, which requires a respirator because inhalation of the zinc oxide fumes causes metal fume fever.
Solomon now enjoys the perks of operating a normal shift at Quality Products with safer working conditions and air conditioning. But he didn’t hesitate when asked what his favorite part was about working at Quality Products.
“Welding. Definitely. I really like welding,” he said. “I think that’s the coolest thing.”
In his free time, Solomon likes to play the guitar and video games. He also occasionally cooks and says he makes a “mean risotto.”
He is engaged to his fiancée, Amanda. Pending the COVID-19 pandemic, the couple is planning to celebrate its wedding day on Oct. 18.