Ace of Trades: Adventuring around the world and coming home again
COSHOCTON – He’s been around the world and now he’s home – with the technical skills to fix things.
“Growing up, I enjoyed learning how things worked and taking stuff apart,” recalled Chris Lewis. “I loved visiting construction sites and visiting the coal mine with my dad.”
Today, he does building maintenance at Coshocton County Career Center.
And when did he first know he had an interest in maintenance?
“Probably as a kid,” he answered, “which led to further my interest in the Navy Seabees where I learned the skills needed to not only build new facilities but maintain them as well.”
Lewis was in the United States Navy for 20-and-a-half years. He retired as Seabee chief in December 2015.
“The Seabees took me around the world,” he said, “living in Russia, South Korea, Alaska, Latvia, Montenegro, to name a few. Plus, I did a tour in Afghanistan in 2012.”
Now 46, Lewis grew up in West Lafayette and graduated from Ridgewood High School in 1995. He went to college in the evening while in the Navy and graduated from University of Maryland University College in 2009 with a bachelor of science in business management.
“The Navy taught me how to teach and lead people,” he said, “along with technical skills in electrical, physical security, technical security, locksmith, plumbing, HVAC, project and facilities management.
“I started at CCCC in January of 2018,” he added, “after working some temporary jobs after retirement from the Navy. I’m passionate about maintaining and improving existing buildings and structures. And with twins being born in December of 2016, CCCC was a perfect fit for our schedule.”
“Chris is very conscientious and detail-oriented,” said Matt Colvin, superintendent of Coshocton County Career Center. “He and his maintenance supervisor, Ben Gee, are second to none. Chris has played a large role in our building's upkeep and advancement over the years. Our guys are able to do what others have to hire out to be done. His experience and skillset are invaluable.
“I've known Chris since high school,” Colvin added. “It’s great that our paths have crossed at this later stage of our lives.”
“I’m very pleased where my life path has taken me,” Lewis responded. “Not too many people can say they’ve been around the world, literally, and were able to come back home.”
The Coshocton County Career Center is located at 23640 Airport Road in Coshocton. For more information, call 740-622-0211 or log on www.coshoctoncareers.org.
About the series
Aces of Trades is a weekly series focusing on people and their jobs – whether they’re unusual jobs, fun jobs or people who take ordinary jobs and make them extraordinary. If you have a suggestion for a future profile, let us know at ctnews@coshoctontribune.com.
This article originally appeared on Coshocton Tribune: Adventuring around the world and coming home again
