Cedar Rapids Shop Foreman Enjoys Being the “Old Man” in the Shop

When Matt Baty started his career as a technician, he was typically surrounded by a staff of people in their 60s who were less-than-eager to help a young tech learn the ropes. It was a common situation that repeated itself at most of his early jobs. Today, Matt finds himself as the Cedar Rapids branch’s requisite elder – despite being just 46 – and he is doing what he can to avoid being the “cranky old guy.”

“When I started in the industry, the older guys in the shops I worked in weren’t the most welcoming,” recalled Matt. “It wasn’t very fun. Now that I’m in that same position, I don’t want to be that way. A lot of the techs here are in their 20s, and I want to mentor them and help them enjoy this job. I don’t want them to feel like I did.”

Matt’s position as Shop Foreman provides him ample opportunities to take on interesting projects and work with the technicians at the Cedar Rapids branch.

“Working primarily in the shop, I get the chance to work on some of the bigger and the weirder stuff, which is fun,” said Matt. “It can get frustrating, but that’s part of the process. Also, since I’m basically always in the shop, I do get to work with the other techs and see them regularly. I’m not in a truck and gone all of the time.

“Since I’ve been here longer, if a tech has a question or gets stuck on something, they come to me, which is cool. They figure I’ve seen it before – which isn’t always the case – but I like to help. We have a young staff, and I am happy to help and work with them. Plus, they’re too young to question me, and they just believe a lot of what I say,” he laughed.

Matt originally started with RMS in 2012 but left to pursue other opportunities soon after. Despite that, his experience at RMS always remained with him. When he had the opportunity to return to the shop in 2015, he did.

“I really liked the family feel that we had here, and still have here,” said Matt. “I worked at other places and was promised more of this, better of that – but it was never a better situation. I really like it here. We have a great group of people here, I get to do some cool stuff, and it’s a great fit.”

In addition to tackling intricate projects, Matt also enjoys working with customers.

“I like being able to find solutions to problems and help people out,” said Matt. “When we get machines in here, I want to do whatever I can to get them fixed and back to the customer as soon as I can. Sometimes, a customer will call me with a problem that I can help them fix over the phone. That can save them time and money, so I’ll try to do that also. Customers appreciate and remember things like that.”

Outside of the shop, Matt still gravitates towards projects, namely working on his 1997 Jeep Wrangler. He also spends time with his wife, Melissa, and son, Nathnael, and enjoys attending concerts.