MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
Andrew is also responsible for doing most of the work on the CNC table. “I’m probably the only guy here who can run it as well as I do, because of all the little tips and tricks I learned to make it do what I want,” said Andrew. “People come up to me and say, ‘Andrew, I need this made,’ and I sit down, design it, and spit it out. And on top of being able to cut plates, I can also cut tubing and do tubing jobs.”
Jim. “We just got done building a complete case 821A radiator with side rails, and we redesigned a few things.”
Seventeen-year-old Andrew Schelkun recently graduated high school and now works with his family full-time. “I took a lot of CAD classes, engineering design classes, and some automotive classes in high school, which has helped on some of the work I do here,” said Andrew.
“Since we bought Empire Radiator Service, there’s no looking back,” said Jim. “We’re looking more into the production side of things, design, and that’s why it’s really nice to have my son Andrew here. I can give him a drawing, and he spits out a part in about 5 minutes.”
As the newest generation in the shop, Andrew has a unique perspective. “It’s definitely interesting for sure. I get to watch my dad and grandpa go back and forth and brainstorm. And I get my own input on certain things in the business. There was never a question that I would go into the family business. From the time I was building lego sets as a kid, I knew I wanted to be hands-on. I was always working on something.”
His family agrees. “We have the pictures to prove it,” said Jim. “I think Andrew was like 5 years old underneath his pedal car working on it with his wrenches. He’s been groomed to be a mechanic since day one.”
As far as challenges, Jim believes one of the biggest issues is something all business owners face. “We have a great team, but the challenge I face daily is getting people with very different personalities to work together and to be on the same page.”
20 | THE COOLING JOURNAL | January/February 2022
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