Forest Worker Spotlight: Victor Pascual-Cruz

You are never to young to begin a career in the forest industry. See how Victor is making a big impact in his career at just 20 years old.

 Victor Pascual-Cruz, is a 20 year old electrician at West Fraser Mills. He obtained an Associate of Applied Science in Advanced Manufacturing with a Concentration in Mechatronics from Southern Union State Community College.

Victor told us that this program well prepared him to become an electrician at West Fraser where he works in the sawmill doing general maintenance work orders on electrical systems as well as emergency maintenance. Most of the calls he gest are from their laser systems needing to be recalibrated inside of the saw machines. He said he utilizes thermal cameras a lot to find and prevent problems before they happen.

His favorite part about working at West Fraser is their emphasis on safety. As an electrician, he works with highly technical and potentially dangerous equipment and knowing that his employer puts its highest priority on the safety of its employees by making sure they have appropriate tools and PPE means a lot to him.

 When asked about what career advice he might have for others he said "I have a lot of friends who are my age and even older who still don’t know what they want to do for a career I always tell them to consider electrical maintenance because it is a high-demand, well-paying job and you will never have to worry about finding a job."

To find out more about careers in the forest industry, click here #ForestryWorks