Honoring Our Veterans: Virginia Transformer Featured in The Idaho State Journal
NOVEMBER, 2023
Virginia Transformer would like to thank the many veterans and military families throughout our company, as well as our country. Read our article featured in The Idaho State Journal below as we honor our veterans companywide.
Virginia Transformer Corp. Honors Their Veterans
November is National Veterans and Military Families Month, and Virginia Transformer Corp. (VTC), with a major plant in Pocatello, is proud to honor the brave men, women, and families who have served our country, and who today help keep the lights on across America by working at the Company. Virginia Transformer has dedicated more than 50 years to producing reliable, long-lasting transformers to bolster the nation’s electrical grid and support domestic manufacturing, with veterans and first responders at the heart of their workforce.
VTC proudly employs veterans here in Pocatello, as well as nationwide throughout their facilities in Virginia and Georgia. And as the largest U.S.-owned power transformer manufacturer in North America, VTC is positioned for continued growth and job creation throughout all its North American facilities. Let’s meet just a few of the many veterans employed at VTC.
MEET VIRGINIA TRANSFORMER
Virginia Transformer is an industry leader in manufacturing industrial large-scale transformers used to support energy reliability and maximize the utilization of clean, renewable energy sources. Their six North American facilities design and manufacture transformers for various applications within the utility, renewable energy, industrial, mining, oil and gas, commercial, institutional, and specialty markets.
But what exactly is a transformer? Simply put, a transformer transfers electric energy from one alternating-current circuit to one or more other circuits, either increasing or reducing the voltage. A transformer allows electricity to be usable and to travel over long distances, enabling power plants to economically deliver electricity to a wide range of customers.
Since acquiring its Pocatello location in 2003, the company has helped build career paths for hundreds of area residents through building the best transformers in the industry. With values such as professionalism, fairness, ownership, honesty, and hard work at the core of VTC, veterans like Brian Wakly, a U.S. Army veteran and wheeled vehicle mechanic of 13.5 years, have found fulfilling roles within the company.
“What has probably helped me the most from my time in service to my duties here with the company is the ability to adapt to changes” Wakly states. “The environment inside of a manufacturing plant can change very quickly just as operations within the military can.”
VETERANS’ VOICES AT VIRGINIA TRANSFORMER
Like many others at VTC, James F. Rogers, a U.S. Marine Corps and Army veteran of 20 years, appreciates the wide range of employees at the corporation. “I have served with countless people from countless backgrounds and cultures, giving me the ability to relate to everyone I encounter. The diversity of the workforce is something to proud of at the Pocatello plant, and I am proud to work for a company who fosters an environment of acceptance.”
Rogers goes on to state, “I feel my time in the military has helped by putting me through stressful situations often, thereby giving me the ability to stay calm during fast-paced and ever-changing situations in the plant. It taught me the importance of leadership and discipline, which I not only experience, but implement daily myself.”
CAREER OPPORTUNITIES
VTC is accepting applications both online and in person, as they are constantly growing. Their compensation package is competitive with new wage increases and comprehensive benefits.
These include family medical care benefits, 401k with company match, FSA and HSA, reward and recognition programs, a company sponsored scholarship program for children of employees, and more.
Their advanced training program, which includes both classroom and hands-on training, attracts and retains employees. The plant helps keep America’s lights on and also helps ensure we have a strong manufacturing base in the U.S., making the company a thriving place to have a long-term career.
Wakly shares that working for VTC has been “a great experience for me and helped me define what I would like to do with my career following my military service. I have met and worked with a lot of great people here who have helped me refine my knowledge to better do my job for this company.”
A BRIGHT FUTURE AT VIRGINIA TRANSFORMER
VTC has many goals for the future. They will:
- Continue to train their workforce.
- Pursue growth for all employees as the Company grows in new markets.
- Create more jobs for American workers.
Most importantly, they will do all of this with a specific focus to improve customer experience and overall customer service. U.S. power demand continues to grow, and Virginia Transformer and its employees will grow with it.