Page 326 - Peterson 85 Years and Going Strong

ThinkBIG is an outstanding program. It’s very hands-on with an excellent ratio between class time and labs.
– Eddie Thoits, parts and service sales, San Martin, Peterson-Cat and ThinkBIG graduate,
Class of 2014
During his on-the-job training rotations, Thoits spent most of his time in Peterson’s main shop in San Leandro. “One of the most exciting jobs I had was working on LeHigh’s four new 777G trucks.
At the time, I was still in the ThinkBIG program. I got to help assemble them in the shop, then dis- assemble and reassemble them at their quarry in Cupertino. We worked with a crane company to put the huge beds on, suspended way up in the air. It was an incredible experience.”
Today, Thoits works out of the San Martin store as a parts and service sales rep (PSSR), a launching pad for positions higher up the ladder. As such, he gets to see those same off-highway trucks operat- ing up on the bench at LeHigh’s Cupertino quarry. “I was the guy off the streets,” says Thoits. “Think- BIG changed my life. It’s been one enjoyable ride ever since.”
Jake Hughes/Santa Rosa field tech—ThinkBig graduate Class of 2016
Santa Rosa’s Jake Hughes, on the other hand, is the classic ThinkBIG kid who grew up tinkering with lawnmowers and building things out of Legos. In high school, he moved on to go-carts and anything with a small engine. “I’ve always been interested in how things work. I just like to learn,” says Hughes, who graduated ThinkBIG in 2016. “I’m a hands- on kind of person, so I really like the hands-on factor of ThinkBIG. The classroom part is basically out of a book, but then you go out into the shop and apply what you talked about in class. That’s the really cool part. I also like that while you’re in school, you focus on school, and when you come back to work [in the dealership rotation], you focus
Top to bottom: Eddie Thoits (L) graduating from ThinkBIG in 2014; Thoits helped assemble new Cat 777G trucks at LeHigh’s Cupertino quarry during his ThinkBIG apprenticeship
324 | PETERSON: 85 YEARS AND GOING STRONG