Quality Products’ Brandon Faulkenberry Becomes Compass Precision Employee of the Month
The old cliche says you only receive one opportunity to make a first impression. But for Brandon Faulkenberry, it was his second impression that won over Quality Products & Machine, LLC.
Now just 10 months after his hire date, Quality Products’ parent company Compass Precision, LLC has named Brandon its Employee of the Month for December.
Brandon is the 21st employee, including 10th at Quality Products, to receive the honor. He is one of four Quality Products employees to be nominated for Employee of the Month in 2021.
For a time, Brandon wasn’t sure he would even work at the Compass Precision operating company. He had his first interview with the company late in 2020, and then he says he didn’t hear from them for 2-3 months.
After no response, Brandon tried applying again. Once more, he received the opportunity to be interviewed, and this time, Quality Products didn’t let him walk out the door without offering him a job.
Quality Products originally added Brandon as an experienced machinist in February. But over the next few months, his role expanded steadily and his duties changed as the company grew. In 10 months, Brandon has served under four different supervisors. He’s also taken on additional responsibilities in his new position of Machine Shop Lead.
”We were really happy to hire Brandon as a machinist, then see him evolve into a leadership role,” explained Kevin Farmer, President of Quality Products. “He has done a great job. Brandon loves getting his hands dirty while still staying engaged with everyone he needs to. We like that.”
Brandon referred to his role as “a work in progress,” but he’s taking it in stride.
“It’s been a journey since I got on board here with different boss men,” said Brandon. “But everybody is easy to get along with and friendly. Everyone helps one another. I have good relationships with the current employees here.”
Brandon’s daily tasks mostly include managing the workflow of the machine shop. Some of those tasks include ensuring the company’s workers understand their setups and procedures and keeping the machines running. Brandon says he also wants to learn software programming.
Born and raised in Rock Hill, SC, Brandon began his career in CNC machining with a part-time job when he was 15. After graduating from Rock Hill High, he entered the business on a full-time basis.
He left manufacturing for the auto body industry, but after three years, Brandon returned to CNC machining. He says he likes machining better because it’s less dirty and not physical labor.
Prior to joining Quality Products, Brandon worked at Upchurch Machine Company in Charlotte as a machinist.
In his free time, he enjoys being with his wife and three children. The couple have two sons and a daughter — all under 10 years old. Brandon says his favorite things to do with family are fishing and riding 4-wheelers.