(WACO, Texas) – They came for the career lessons and stayed for the ice cream.
Representatives of Blue Bell Creameries of Brenham spoke to more than 170 students in the Electrical Power and Controls and the Instrumentation Technology programs at Texas State Technical College on Tuesday, Sept. 10. The event was hosted by TSTC’s Career Services department.
“Blue Bell is an interesting company,” said Seth Mascorro, of Waco, a fifth-semester Instrumentation Technology student. “I thought it would be a great opportunity to see what working there will be like.”
Logan Davis, Blue Bell’s automation area manager, said the company has a challenging time finding people to fill automation and controls technician positions. He said this is because of the overall skill set and aptitude needed for the job.
Davis said some of the automated processes that the company uses include ice cream glazing, milk receiving, and mix manufacturing. Employees work with cranes, palletizing robots, programmable logic controllers and other automated equipment.
Davis said some of the soft skills needed to be successful at the company include good time management and organizational skills, along with the ability to work individually and in groups.
The company produces its frozen products five days a week for nine hours each. Cleaning on those days also takes nine hours. Saturdays are designated as maintenance days, while Sundays are plant-check days.
Blue Bell representatives brought three coolers of chocolate and vanilla ice cream for students to eat after the presentation. Students also feasted on pizza.
Shawn Galindo, of Waco, is in his fifth semester in the Instrumentation Technology program. He said he attended the employer visit because he is job hunting. He is scheduled to graduate in December.
Galindo said what impressed him was learning how ice cream is made.
Blue Bell Creameries has production facilities in Brenham, along with Alabama and Oklahoma, and more than 60 delivery branches across the country. The company’s products are sold in 23 states.
For more information on TSTC, go to tstc.edu.
