Douglas Machining Mill Programmer/Operator Jason Kalmes Becomes Compass Precision Employee of the Month
There are people that decide at a very young age what they are going to do for a living and grow up to fulfill that dream.
But that’s not Jason Kalmes’ story. For about a decade, Jason looked for more rewarding job opportunities than what was offered in his original field. He finally found his passion in machining and is approaching his four-year anniversary as a Mill Programmer/Operator at Douglas Machining Services, LLC.
Excelling so much at his passion, Compass Precision, LLC, Douglas Machining’s parent company, named Jason its Employee of the Month for January 2022.
“Over the last year, Jason has continued to really grow his machining skills,” wrote Douglas Machining President Dan Douglas. “His quality is always excellent, and he is a great team member that always goes the extra mile to get the job done.”
Joining Supervisor Ben Kubis and CNC programmer Tyler Creeley, Jason is the third Douglas Machining employee to receive the Employee of the Month honor since Compass acquired Douglas in March 2021.
Overall, Jason is the 22nd Compass Precision Employee of the Month.
“Compass is delighted to provide Jason with this recognition,” explained Gary Holcomb, CEO of Compass. “In our high precision manufacturing environment, we need talented and motivated employees to fully satisfy our customers’ needs. Jason is proving himself to be one of those people.”
Jason graduated with a degree in electronics and worked in the field for a few years after college, but he says electronics didn’t suit him. In high school, Jason enjoyed a machining class he took, but even while thinking about a new career path as a young adult, he didn’t consider machining.
But eventually, Jason was on the road to becoming a mill operator. In 2014, he earned a job working on a manual mill at Midwest Pattern. He stayed at the company for more than three years until a friend, a customer of Douglas Machining, made him aware of the Compass operating company in Winona.
About a week later, Jason applied online for an opening at Douglas. He quickly accepted the job and finally found what he loves to do.
“We are happy to have him here at DMS, and we are looking forward to continuing to watch him grow as a machinist,” said Dan.
Jason enjoys the hands-on work that comes with his manufacturing position. He described seeing the parts after completion as his favorite thing about working at Douglas.
“When you get done doing a complicated setup and you are looking at the parts you made and take it over to your buddy and have him inspect it, and he tells you it’s a good part, that’s very rewarding.
“You look at a piece of paper with a bunch of dimensions on it, and it just doesn’t seem that amazing. Then you get that part out and it’s, ‘Wow, I made that.’”
A native of Rollingstone, MN, Jason grew up on a farm and now raises a 15-year-old daughter, Jaiden, and 10-year-old son, Jaxson, with his girlfriend, Nicole, on their own farm also in Rollingstone. Jason and Nicole have been dating for nine years. The family also includes a six-year-old beagle named Oliver.
In his free time, Jason likes hiking, hunting and fishing. Jason also enjoys riding and working on dirt bikes, especially with his kids. With Nicole, Jason loves riding an old Honda Cruiser the couple has nicknamed ‘The Red Dragon.’