Military veteran says company had his back, made transition back to work seamless
When military man Kendall Martin was called into duty by his sergeant last summer, just a week into his new position in the Dow apprenticeship program, he had some definite concerns. Martin, who began work in the apprenticeship program at Dow Chemical in Hahnville in early August 2016, was called into duty when some areas of Louisiana were affected by severe flooding. His services were needed to help with search and rescue.
“I got the call on a Friday,” Martin said. “I was told to go ahead and pack my bags because we were getting activated. I was worried about how Dow would take that … you hear stories of companies saying, ‘we’ll hold your position while you’re deployed,’ and then they come back and they either aren’t in the same position, or they resume for a little while before they’re laid off.
“I’d only been here for a week, so I was worried I’d come back and be replaced by another apprentice.”
His fears were quickly put to rest, however. Martin called his leader at Dow and gave her the news, and that furthermore, he didn’t yet know how long he might be deployed.
“She told me, ‘text message us here, let me know that you’re safe.’ It wasn’t just, ‘when can you get back to work?’ It was, with everything going on, ‘can I help you with anything?’” Martin said. “That meant so much to me.”
Martin said he received nothing but encouragement from what he calls his new “family away from family, who I know has my back.”
While deployed, he said he and his team started off running high-water search and rescue in the Independence area of Tangipahoa Parish, conducting rescues via high-water vehicles.
“After spending a couple days in this area, we pushed south into eastern Ponchatoula,” Martin said. “We spent a day or so there rescuing people, and then we moved west to Denham Springs to run search and rescue.”
After the water receded, the team started to help police officers with security details and spent night shifts watching banks, stores and houses. That went on for a week and then the area recovered and the team members were relieved of their duties.
Once he returned to Dow to resume his apprenticeship, he said the company made things so seamless for him during the transition that he felt like he’d never left in the first place.
Martin originally enlisted in the Army in August of 2014 and has been part of an engineer unit called upon for search and rescue in natural disasters. He takes after others in his family: his great grandfather, grandfather, father and brother have all served in the military during their lives.
“I initially didn’t know what I wanted to do in my life. I tried college for a semester and didn’t really think that was for me. So, I enlisted in the military … as soon as I enlisted, I was focused and driven on what I had to do,” Martin said. “I decided I wanted to work in a chemical plant and be an instrumentation tech.
“I saw Dow offered an opportunity with an apprenticeship, and I couldn’t pass it up.”
Ultimately, he couldn’t — but he did have his doubts at first. Martin wasn’t sure, with his lack of experience, that the company would look his way. But after some prodding from his father – “the worst they can do is say no was his advice,” Martin said – he applied and earned the position.
He’s nearly one year into the three-year program. He aims to earn his two-year associates degree at a technical college, then after the program is complete he should be able to transition into a career at Dow. As part of the program, Dow reimburses participants on schooling expenses.
“It’s been very, very good,” he said. “I’ve learned a lot. I go to school part time, then I take the knowledge I get from school and get practical hands on experience. There are a lot of good people here, a whole network dedicated to veterans. When at work, we can have get-togethers and stuff and talk about our experiences. You really have somebody to lean on.”
To become an instrumentation technician would be another way he will be following in his grandfather’s footsteps, as the latter worked as an instrumentation tech himself.
“He worked his way up, starting from the bottom,” Martin said. “And Dow’s giving me the opportunity to start off where he worked his entire life to be. Dow is so focused on trying to get their people educated and moving them up as high as they can go. Engineering has always been a dream of mine, and I’m so happy they’re giving me this chance.”
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