Burleson Works Program Places Five Residents in Positions with Local Companies

Five Burleson residents were awarded the inaugural Burleson Works scholarship today, May 10. The scholarship will allow them to receive financial assistance for training at local technical schools and then they will have the opportunity to be placed directly into a position with a local Burleson company.

The city, Burleson Economic Development Corporation, the Burleson Opportunity Fund and the Burleson Works partners celebrated by hosting a “signing day” with the scholarship recipients and representatives from the company’s where they will be employed (scholarship recipients will be required to pass all pre-employment screenings before they begin employment).

Mayor Pro Tem and president of the Burleson Type 4A Economic Development Corporation, Dan McClendon, spoke about city council’s desire to not only bring businesses to Burleson but to bring our residents an opportunity work where they live.

“I’ve considered it one of the biggest blessings in my life to be able to live and work in the same community,” said Mayor Pro Tem McClendon. “Especially a community like Burleson that has historically been a workforce support community to cities outside of our borders. And why should that be? Why should we not work to building an industry in our own community?”  

“As a council we started working towards that goal in 2008 with the building of Highpoint Business Park,” stated McClendon. “Now we need the workforce to fill those positions and this program is the beginning to make sure Burleson residents can enjoy living and working in the same community.”

Hayes & Stolz, who has achieved worldwide recognition as a leading industrial manufacturer of high-performance mixing, material handling and process equipment, will be bringing on two Burleson Works scholarship recipients. Joel Rankin, a 1992 graduate, will be attending Hill College to obtain an Associate in Welding. Afterward, he will have the opportunity to join the Hayes & Stolz family as a welder.

“I started pursuing the path to become a welder about a year ago,” said Rankin. “The first time I saw Burleson Works scholarship I kind of passed it by but then decided to try for it.” Rankin worked for the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History has a fabricator and was a self-taught welder, but now he will have the opportunity to complete his certification and work for a company his hometown. “Hayes and Stolz was on my list of companies I wanted to work for so this is the perfect fit for me. I’m very appreciative of the opportunity.”

Dylan Cobb, a 2015 graduate of Centennial High School, will be attending classes at Tarrant County College in pursuit of working for Hayes & Stolz as an engineering drafter. Cobb has always been interested in architecture and is taking this opportunity to learn drafting design. “I learned about this position through my Dad,” said Cobb. “And I want to start working with a company to have the opportunity to learn to draft.”

Parker Maynard, a 2018 Burleson Crossroads graduate, will be training at Hill College to join LKQ Corporation as an automotive dismantler. LKQ Corporation is a leading provider of alternative and specialty parts to repair and accessorize automobiles and other vehicles. They have operations in North America, Europe and Taiwan.

Wagner-Smith Equipment Co. designs, builds, sells, rents and services overhead and underground line-stringing equipment and tools for the electrical line industry across the nation.  Kolton Makarwich, who is set to graduate from Centennial High School in May, will join their team as a mechanic after completing training classes at Hill College.

Makarwich has goals of becoming a mechanic and hopes to one day own his own business. “I don’t think there is a better step to take than to work at a company right out of high school where I will gain experience to help reach my goals,” said Makarwich.

Will Clark, a 2016 Centennial High School graduate, will be receiving on-the-job training as an engineering intern with F-WAVE, a global company that is poised to revolutionize the residential roofing industry.

Clark said that he is looking for a career that has engineering aspects but wants to do something more than sit behind a desk all day. “F-WAVE seemed like a perfect place for me to experience the different facets of an engineering career,” said Clark.

“We work very hard to bring quality industries to Burleson,” said Alex Philips, City of Burleson economic development manager. “These industries need a highly-skilled workforce to fill their jobs and this one-of-a-kind program allows us to work together as a community to cultivate our home-grown talent.”