Brandon Gillette

Hired as Electrician Level 8, promoted to swing shift lead man in January 2025. I work with everybody from low level apprentices to high level personnel such as Engineers and plant managers on a wide variety of work ranging from safety ideas to major projects and upgrades.

Starting out at GAF, I was closely monitored for the first 3 months of employment, due to the hazardous nature of this job. I immediately showcased my electrical and mechanical skills upon hiring, which led Management to encourage me to apply for Maintenance lead man for swing shift, which I accepted.

My duties are all-encompassing. Mechanical, electrical, assigning jobs to my team, being at the forefront of major breakdowns, and helping troubleshoot and fix any way I can. I also train new electricians and mechanics as time permits. It is only fair to show the same skills and passion for the job as I was shown and taught when I first started in the trade. This is what I love to do for a living.

• In charge of maintenance on all steel leveling, shearing, cutting, etc, with an emphasis on electrical projects, upgrades, and predictive maintenance on all hydraulic, pneumatic, mechanical, and electrical circuits on various machinery and overhead cranes.
• Respond to trouble calls on days assigned, in order to specifically assist with production schedule.
• Complete various work orders in a timely and productive manner.
• Train other individuals with less experience in topics such as basic electrical safety, National Electric Code, OSHA, NFPA 70E, troubleshooting contactors, overloads, fuses, solenoids, VFDs, soft starters, I/O cards, tachometers, encoders, servomotors, sensors, load cells, blueprints and schematics, PLC ladder logic, running new circuits, bending conduit, pulling wire, installing new load centers, disconnects, transformers, AC/DC motors, and control wiring.
• Responsible for maintaining our substation 4.16kV switchgear, battery backup bank, 5150 relays, etc.

• At Saratoga Foods we produced spices and ingredients for the major fast food chains including Taco Bell and Pizza Hut. It is a new plant that was built in 2018, and as the only electrician on the maintenance team, I was tasked with creating a PM schedule for all of the equipment, recording settings and parameters on all of our drives, PLC's, metal detectors, vacuum systems, and ordering all electrical parts and components that were needed in inventory. I was also tasked with several corrective projects involving safety/ code violations, waterproofing electrical cabinets and enclosures in washdown areas, and making equipment upgrades. I also assisted my fellow maintenance members with trouble calls, daily plant start-up and shut-down procedures, and weekend projects including major rebuilds, fabrication and welding projects, and equipment tear-downs. At Saratoga Foods, I was able to prove my worth as a great electrician and team player, and was given the maintenance lead position.

• Started in May 2019 and completed a 3 month internship. Was then hired on full time as an Electrical Apprentice. Spent 2 months in each rolling Mill and department before being selected for Site Maintenance.
• In my time rotating through the mills, my job duties were to assist experienced electricians with troubleshooting problems that caused down time, such as motor faults, drive faults, PLC communication errors, sensor and instrumentation problems, overhead crane faults, operator errors, and so forth.
• During downtime, I was tasked with preventative maintenance on a wide range of equipment, from AC/DC cranes, AC/DC motors and generators, synchronous motors, and other electrical machinery and equipment. Other tasks included installing new conduit runs, upgrading panels, replacing and repairing switches, outlets, light fixtures, ballasts, etc.
• Worked with the high voltage team, which dealt with voltages from 2400V to 67kV. We maintained Transformers, Switchgear, Breakers, protective relays, and battery rooms that provided back up power in case of a loss of power from substations.
• As a CSI electrician, I also underwent an intense training program that included logging my On-the-Job hours through a state certified apprenticeship called WorkHands, completing over 100+ books and scoring high grades through the Penn Foster program, and also attended in-person classes at the CSI InTech Center.

• As a Maintenance Mechanic at Glanbia, I was responsible for maintaining a beverage plant with 3 production lines, 3 filler rooms, a batching room, processing room, and chemical skids, and other machines and equipment including bottle sleevers, Krones labelers, bottle/case coders, imaging systems, case-packing machines, palletizers, pumps, valves, motors, conveyors, steam systems, and a wide variety of other mechanical and electrical equipment and instrumentation.
• My role as a mechanic was to respond to trouble calls from operators during uptime, and work with operators and other mechanics to troubleshoot and correct the problem.
• I was also responsible for working with maintenance team and coordinating with production team to plan PM windows and major rebuild projects.