after graduation, but returned to the company as a full-time engineering employee in 1997. He worked his way up through the ranks to become General Manager. He said the company needs new employees with the right background.
“ All need to be able to work on stainless steel,” he explained.“ That requires some special training. With that training, they can hit the ground running.” FPEC looks for workers who love what they do, and rewards them with pay that beats most other companies offering jobs, Clouse said.
The FPEC team is passionate about its work. The company has everything it needs in-house to create the custom pieces of equipment from start to finish.“ It’ s a lot of fun to see a concept go from an idea to bringing it into a plant,” Davison said.“ It is gratifying to see it work.”
FPEC customers include Tyson Foods, Cargill, George’ s, Simmons Foods, Ozark Mountain Poultry, Hormel, Bar-S and Lopez Foods.“ We help them update their equipment,” Davison said.“ We provide everything from stand-alone equipment to totally automated systems.”
A lot of the company’ s products are sold outside Arkansas and FPEC also sells internationally. The company has grown over the years as sales expanded.
In 1995, FPEC expanded by adding 24,000 square feet to its facility. The company later added an additional 40,000 square foot work space as they continued to grow.
Many of the employees hired during the expansion found a long-term career at FPEC.
Good pay and the opportunity to build a stable career are some of the reasons workers choose to stay at FPEC.
“ Our retention rates for the last 10 years are off the charts,” Clouse said.“ Some people have left or retired. It’ s harder now to find devoted employees.”
The company needs people with a good work ethic who will do their best in the job. Prospective employees can apply at the company’ s office at 2216 Ford Ave. in Springdale. They also can email a résumé to hr @ fpec. com.
“ By having a résumé, you can distinguish yourself,” Clouse said.“ Good references are helpful. Recommendations from former employers are important.”
Also, it’ s good to have industry-recognized certifications for specific skills, such as welding. Any potential employee must show the company that they care about being the best in the business.
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