Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, the construction business was booming. Like many other industries, this health hazard has had a negative impact, including backlog, revenue and profit margin expectations, workforce issues, and supply chain issues. Infrastructure projects rely on public funding and the general economic health of the nation, which significantly slowed down the market. The Civil Quarterly, a report published by Dodge Data & Analytics, states the Commercial Construction Index, that gauges the strength of the industry, plummeted from 74 to 55 between the 1st and 2nd quarter of 2020. Times like this, when furloughs and layoffs occur, call for ingenuity and persistence.

Daniel Otten possesses those very qualities. He began his career doing foundation, plumbing, and masonry work, then pursued electrical technology at Lincoln Tech in Indiana. He entered the Navy in 2012, serving until 2016. As an aviation structural mechanic 3rd class, he worked on the MH-60 Sierra Helicopter and he served on three aircraft carriers during training maneuvers.

Daniel utilized the G.I. Bill to attend Ranken. He says, “Ranken has given me the opportunity to tune the skills I learned growing up to be successful in my trade. My favorite memory was the last day of school, sitting there on the front porch of the house we had just finished, looking back at all the little tasks we had completed to make our house a home for the family that now lives there.”

After graduating Summa Cum Laude from Ranken’s Carpentry and Building Construction Technology program in 2019, and Magna Cum Laude with a BS in Applied Management in 2020, Daniel worked as a carpentry apprentice for a local union. Carpentry instructor John Davis noted Daniel’s dependability, explaining “He was a great student and person . . . [Daniel] was one of the most reliable, dependable students that I have ever had.” A few months into the pandemic, Daniel took another path. He is now a chemical operator and subject matter expert for Afton Chemicals where he controls part of the plant that makes an engine oil additive.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Daniel Otten, Aviation Structural Mechanic 3rd Class, U.S. Navy

Learn more at https://ranken.edu/find-your-career-path/
https://www.aftonchemical.com/