AUGUST SPOTLIGHT
Carlos Mis Huitzil

Carlos is a millwright foreman who has been with JR merit for eight years. He’s been doing construction since he was 18 years old. “I did rigging for a galvanizing company; I ran the overhead cranes.” He learned about JR Merit from a coworker while working for a smaller contractor. “I heard that JR Merit needed someone who was willing to travel to work on hydro projects. I’d never done one before, but it sounded exciting to me. I’d always wanted to see how hydroelectric plants worked. All the mechanical systems, and the history…I find it really exciting.

“With JR Merit, I get to go places where most people can’t get to. I’ve done projects in Alaska, Mexico, and Idaho. The plant in Bend, Oregon, is right downtown. It’s a submerged unit; no one knows it’s there.

“I enjoy not only seeing the mechanical side of these systems, but the towns we go to and the people that we meet. It’s very rewarding.”

Carlos loves that JR Merit is like a family. “JR Merit is not a big corporation where no one knows who anyone is. Basically, you have to be a good person to work here. I’ve worked with other contractors that are not that way. People treat people with respect, and that comes from high up in the company. It comes from the very top, so it has an impact on employees. When people get to Merit, they want to stay.”

With the complexity of hydro projects comes many challenges. “Things are constantly changing. Even though I adapt to them quickly, it can be a struggle sometimes. And the conditions can be tough. We get snow and sleet and temperature changes. Sometimes it’s 104 degrees and other times it’s minus 17. That was on the Fish Screens Retrofit project at the Bigfork Hydroelectric Project in Montana. I’d never experienced minus temperatures before in my life! But when you get done, it’s like, ‘Wow, I did that.’

“I found the trick for working in the cold: it’s hand warmers. You put them in your boots, on top of your socks, and it keeps you warm the rest of the day. I was sticking one in my socks one day when Randy walked in, he said, ‘What are you doing?’ I love it, the camaraderie with people. I like working with these guys; they’re good people. If you’re not like that, you don’t work for JR Merit.”

Carlos remembers one funny (albeit kind of dangerous) story from early in his career. “When I was learning how to weld, the guy who was helping me put his foot on the plate to hold it down so I could tack weld it. He put pressure on, and I accidentally welded his boot instead. He pulled up his foot and the plate came with him. He walked away and his boot was smoking! That’s how I learned not to say you have something until you’re absolutely sure! I still double check every time I weld!”

Carlos is looking forward to running his own projects and interacting directly with customers over the next several years. “I also plan to retire at some point. I’m not going to be one of those guys who hangs around. I want to travel more.”

In his free time, Carlos loves to go hiking. “There’s so much beauty in this country.”