Jeff Morris
With 21 years’ experience under his belt, Jeff Morris can speak firsthand about the rewards of having a good manufacturing job in Kentucky. Morris is a machinist, and for the past six years has been with Atlas Machine & Supply, Inc. in Louisville, Ky. Prior to Atlas, he worked for Elizabethtown Machine and Tool.
A product of the Breckinridge County Vocational School, Morris encourages today’s young people to learn to use their hands. “You will always have a skilled trade, and no one can take that away from you,” he said in a recent interview.
However, if he could change anything about his education, he says he would have learned more math skills in high school: “Using geometry, angles, degrees and decimals are important parts of my work, and with today’s technology and fast pace it is crucial for the set-up to be correct.”
When asked about the importance of teamwork to manufacturing, he says the average employee at Atlas has been there 11 years and by working together they “anticipate the needs of others on the team and the work flows unbelievably well.”
When it comes to job satisfaction, Morris says the best part comes at the end of the day when he has a finished product … “something to show for my work.” Having lots of variety is also important: “I hardly ever do the same thing twice,” he says. Although enjoyable, being a machinist is not without challenges. “You have to focus on getting it right the first time, every time,” he says.
Over the past few years, Morris says he had seen the company get busier and his workload heavier. His plant is repairing equipment operated by other manufacturing facilities. For him and his fellow workers, that means a longer work day.
Even though his normal work week now consists of 50-60 hours, Morris still finds time to spend with his wife, two sons and daughter. He and his family live in Elizabethtown, a short commute from Louisville. He enjoys participating with his kids’ sports teams - with baseball and soccer being the family favorites.
Have a question for Jeff about his job? E-mail him at ojmorris@juno.com.
Jeff’s List of Favorites:
Food
– Steak and Potato
Movie
– The Natural
Sport
– Baseball
TV
Show - Seinfeld
Thing
To Do – Coaching and Hunting
Song
– Have You Forgotten by Darryl Worley
Kentucky
Place – Kentucky Lake
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