From the Military to Manufacturing | Casey’s Story
Casey Battey is a military veteran who has found success in the world of manufacturing. After nearly 10 years of military training and service, Casey began his search for a career that would leverage his skills and offer him a pathway for continual growth. This is his story.
Casey Battey began his career with the Marine Corps after graduating high school in 2005. Following his basic training, he spent the next year studying aviation electronics during his Military Occupation Specialty Training. In June of 2006, Casey was assigned to the Harrier Squadron in Yuma, Arizona where he spent the next 4 years putting his military training to work.
In 2007 and 2009, Casey embarked on two separate deployments. His first deployment took him from San Diego to Kuwait and Iraq where he spent a total of four months at sea and five months in country before returning home.
LCPL Casey Battey, Kuwait, 2007
During Casey’s second deployment in 2009, he and his team were a part of counter-piracy missions off the coast of Somalia. His squadron played a significant role in the operation that rescued Captain Phillips and his crew after their U.S. container ship was hijacked by Somali pirates.
After his deployments, Casey re-enlisted in August of 2009 for four more years in the military, during which time he took the position of the Avionics Instructor at the Marine Aviation Training Support Group in Pensacola, FL. At the end of that time, he accepted a job at Indyne, Inc. in Pensacola as an Electronic Warfare Specialist. However, he quickly realized that there was no room to grow in this position.
CPL Casey Battey, setting sail from Pearl Harbor Hawaii, 2009
His desire to be in a career that offered opportunities for development and growth led Casey to post his resume on indeed. He was quickly contacted by a recruiter who set him up with several different opportunities. Casey recalls that one of the opportunities would have forced him to be deployed overseas for four months at a time, and with two young daughters, being away from home for that long was not an option. The other opportunity was for a Field Service Representative position with Stiles Machinery. After an extensive interview, it was time for Casey to make a decision.
Second only to the decision to get married and have children, this was the most important decision of my life,” Casey said.
After a lot of deliberation, he decided that Stiles was the better fit. He accepted the offer in March of 2015, and within the first 90 days, he realized that Stiles was going to be his home and the place where would build his career.
When asked how he felt so comfortable and confident in such a short time at Stiles, Casey said it was a combination of the extensive formal training that allowed him to translate his knowledge and skills from the military to a career in manufacturing, as well as the family-like comradery that Stiles offered.
I also quickly realized the many opportunities for growth within Stiles,” Casey said. “Just because you start in a certain position, doesn’t mean you have to stay there. The great thing about Stiles is that they value their employees and want to invest in their growth and success.”
Casey began his journey at Stiles as a Field Service Representative in March of 2015 and was quickly promoted to the Southern California Service District Team Leader in April 2016. His responsibilities in this role included training and mentoring new service technicians as well as overseeing customer support and assisting the Regional Service Manager with daily management operations.
Shortly after his three-year anniversary with Stiles, Casey decided that he could make a greater impact in the sales department, due to his love for the machines and helping customers discover the right solutions to grow their businesses.
Casey recently accepted the Sales Engineer position for the Oregon region. He attributes his success to his extensive knowledge of the products as well as understanding customer processes from his experience in the service department.
Casey Battey, Oregon Sales Engineer, 2018
I’ve been in thousands of shops and understand the ins and out of our customers’ needs. This has helped me tremendously in making this transition successful. It was also extremely helpful to make the transition within Stiles because I already had the inside knowledge,” said Casey.
He went on to explain how his experience in the military prepared him for a career with Stiles. When working in regional sales or service for Stiles, you are working as a remote employee, and if you want to be successful in those roles, you need to be disciplined. Having that discipline from the military taught me to handle difficult situations.”
When asked what advice he would give someone who was interested in making the jump from a career with the military to a career at Stiles, Casey said,
Don’t be afraid to ask if you don’t know how your skills will translate into a career at Stiles. There is a place for you and plenty of opportunity for growth to get you where you want to be.”
Casey Battey and his daughters at a Stiles event in Las Vegas, NV, 2018
Stiles is a family,” Casey continued. “Even though we are a larger company than we used to be, we’ve been able to maintain those family values. Stiles has been so supportive of my success both personally and professionally, which has truly allowed me to thrive.”