Orion's March 2018 eNewsletter
 
 








Thy Chhom, Orion participant.

Thy Chhom     

Dedicated, energetic, motivated, friendly, sincere; these are just some of the many accolades that describe Orion participant, Thy Chhom. When it comes to achieving success, Thy is a model employee who has earned respect, trust, and praise from his colleagues and supervisors.  

Since 2014, Thy has worked in light assembly at Orion's Mukilteo plant, where he cleans, tests, and packages up television remotes for Comcast. He also labels whistles and ships out orders of manufactured parts. The quality of his work is outstanding and he prides himself on keeping high performance standards. 

At the start of 2018, Thy obtained a second job at Taco Bell performing a variety of cleaning and stocking duties. He caught onto things quickly and was then given the opportunity to do food prep; he makes pizzas, adds seasoning and toppings to dishes, and packages chips and potatoes. The management and staff are pleased with his performance as he has exceeded all expectations. 

Thy loves both of his jobs and the people he works with. The smile on his face says it all: he feels good about himself and it really shows. As Thy becomes more independent, he is gaining more confidence, and best of all, he is an important contributing member to society and his community.



 

 Michael working on Orion's Auburn production floor.

Michael relocated to the Pacific Northwest, from the Los Angeles area, when he was younger. He lived in Spokane, but moved to Western Washington after getting out of prison. He did not want to return to the same environment he was in prior to being incarcerated. While serving his time, he took every class he could with the goal of improving himself as much as possible. He wanted to change and get away from street life. His probation officer suggested that Orion's paid training program could provide a great way for him to learn new skills while transitioning back into society.

While in Orion's manufacturing training program Michael gained experience in Mills, Water Jet, Blanking Press, Routers and the Finish Line. Michael said, "It gave me a boost to my confidence a s I learned new job skills in each department. As I had more success, it gave me the belief that everything was going to be alright.  I was motivated to do more and to learn as much as possible. I'm seeing that hard work really does pay off."

The focus and dedication that Michael has demonstrated have been inspiring to those around him, and to himself.  While in the training program Michael has seen others working to conquer their barriers. He has learned not to judge a book by its cover, while also teaching that lesson to others through his motivation. 

"Even when I didn't have anything else, I had a belief in myself,"  Michael explained, "Orion gave me the opportunity to show myself who I really am, and for that I'm grateful. I want to thank my Intake Coordinator, Kristina Pressley, my Job Developer, Lavada Kindle, my mentors, Chris Pierce and Dean Walton, and everyone else at Orion, for giving me the chance to show them who I am, and for taking time to really teach me."

Lavada Kindle said, "Michael is a hard worker. He is taking advantage of Orion's training program; learning technical skills while exhibiting good soft skills. He productively occupied his time at Walla Walla, and he has earned 15 certificates, including an associate degree, a CNC certificate, and a Toastmasters certificate, among others. In conversations with him, he has shown that he is determined and isn't going to let anything get in his way. It's been my privilege to work with him and I'm wishing him success." 

If you would like to learn more about Michael, or if you would like to see his resume, please contact Lavada Kindle at 253-661-7805 x262 or email her at lavada.kindle@orionworks.org.

Orion partnering with United Way's Free Tax Campaign


Orion and United Way are partnering once again for United Way's Free Tax Preparation Campaign! Anyone who earned less than $66,000 in 2017 is eligible for this FREE service. The Free Tax Preparation Campaign is part of a community-wide effort to help 50,000 people escape poverty by 2020.

Orion's site will remain open to provide Free Tax Preparation until Wednesday, April 18th.

Orion Industries 
1590 A Street NE
Auburn, WA 98002

Site schedule 
Mon: 5:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Wed: 5:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Sat: 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM

To locate other sites near you, or if you have questions about eligibility or what documents to bring, visit United Way's website at:


Program tours are available!

Orion Industries, Auburn, currently has openings available in all of our training programs:
If you are working with someone who would benefit from this training program, please have them attend our weekly tour - Monday at 9am!
  • Our Office Skills & Customer Service Program offers students exposure to computer training, customer service training and keyboarding / 10-key skills training. It utilizes a self-directed model, in a small classroom setting, with instructor support. Each Friday, interactive group customer service discussions are led by the instructor. Students are offered a daily stipend of $10 for class attendance.
Orion has multiple open spots for direct job placement support services to individuals not in our training programs. If you are interested in direct job placement services, please contact a Job Developer at 253-661-7805.


Auburn Public School Foundation Trivia Night

Orion staff and family at the Auburn Public School Foundation Trivia Night event.
Members of the Orion Training and Employment Team and their family members participated in the Auburn Public School Foundation Trivia Night on Friday, February 2nd. They proved that they are smarter than a 5th grader!

Find out more about APSF at:
 
6th Annual Enumclaw Interactive STEM Expo

Top photo left to right: Orion staff members Kristina Pressley, Jason Person, and Sarah McKenna.
 
Orion Staff participated in the 6th Annual Enumclaw Interactive STEM Expo on February 8th. Local families attended and were able to learn about STEM opportunities in the region. The children had a chance to learn about how Orion helps to make airplanes through an available Clamp Block Assembly and Lock Wire demonstration activity.


Orion Links

 
Click on the links below to visit Orion's division websites:     
Orion Industries, Auburn
1590 A Street NE
Auburn, WA 98002
Orion Industries, Mukilteo
13008 Beverly Park Rd
Mukilteo, WA 98275