Fighter Pilot Dreams to Facility Fixer
While John DeLong dreamed of being a fighter pilot as a little boy, you don’t have to talk to him for very long to realize that construction is in his blood.
John’s grandfather was a carpenter, and his father was an ironworker which meant he grew up learning the trades and working with his hands. Over time, he gained experience and skills in the areas of carpentry, electrical, plumbing and HVAC as he was exposed to different individuals who shared their own knowledge of these fields.
This knowledge culminated in him becoming a construction superintendent and working in the field for over twenty years. However, one day in 2005 while serving as a contractor on a remodeling job at Bedford Memorial Hospital, he struck up a conversation with a member of the Plant Engineering Team. In the course of the conversation, he learned about a job opening on the team. Not long after, he applied for the job and got a call back. One week after his interview, he was hired.
When John made the leap from construction to healthcare facilities management, he experienced a clear cultural and mindset shift that came with the transition. When working on a construction site, you get to experience the gratification of seeing daily progress made on a project from the day it begins to the day it is finished. In contrast, facilities management never has an end. John explained, “in this role, you don’t see change to the building itself, but you do know that the building is functioning as it should be.”
John has never stopped adding to his skillset as a jack of all trades and he is currently enrolled at Western Governor’s University where he is working towards the completion of his bachelor’s degree in business with an emphasis in healthcare management. “I used to think I was too old to go back to school, but you’re never too old to learn something new,” he expressed.
This same lesson is what John wants to pass on to future generations including his own grandchildren, going on to add, “If I had a piece of advice that I could give anybody, I’d tell them to try not to stay complacent and always try to learn something. If you ever have the opportunity to further your education or take a class, jump on it. It will pay off in the long run.”
When we asked John what he loves most about his job at Centra, he explained that one of the advantages of his job is not being chained to a desk in an office all day, but rather, being able to get out in the facility on projects and interact with Caregivers. While some of his role involves emails and desk work these days, he’s still able to, “grab a pair of pliers and a screwdriver and help fix something!”