Kevin Compton
Job Title: Trimble Operator
Company: Eldeco, Inc.
Location: Greenville, S.C.
Age: 25
Years on the Job: 3
Interests: Spending time with his wife, working on their house and yard, hiking, and playing the guitar
Kevin Compton grew up around construction, but his brother-in-law, Marc, sparked his interest in becoming an electrician.
“Problem solving has always brought me satisfaction, and there’s so much of it in this field,” Compton says.
Born and raised in Easley, S.C., Compton majored in construction engineering at Greenville Technical College. After a year-and-a-half, he left college to start in the trade with no experience or prior training.
“The majority of people who have trained me have been very quick to offer help and to teach, which is something I’m extremely grateful for,” he says.
As a Trimble operator, he lays out specific items from an engineering drawing onto the job site and collects locations and as-builts for a job. If any issues arise, he works on finding a solution.
“My favorite part about this job is seeing things line up the way they should,” Compton says. “When the numbers come out right — and everything looks good both on paper and in the field — that’s a great feeling.”
Currently, his firm is working on industrial building projects, and he is focused on locating duct banks, light poles, and equipment. He says technology is vital to an electrical firm’s success and allows crews to get a jumpstart on installations.
“The old methods work, but they are much slower and take up more man-hours,” he says. “In my field, with the use of a Total Station, one person could do it in one day where it would take three people a week to do without it.”
Over the next decade, he would like to work more closely with the engineering department.
“I enjoy the design side of it, and that’s the best place to see it,” he says. “I plan to keep asking questions and learning everything I can to help wherever I am needed.”
Born and raised in Easley, S.C., Compton majored in construction engineering at Greenville Technical College. After a year-and-a-half, he left college to start in the trade with no experience or prior training.
“The majority of people who have trained me have been very quick to offer help and to teach, which is something I’m extremely grateful for,” he says.
As a Trimble operator, he lays out specific items from an engineering drawing onto the job site and collects locations and as-builts for a job. If any issues arise, he works on finding a solution.
“My favorite part about this job is seeing things line up the way they should,” Compton says. “When the numbers come out right, and everything looks good both on paper and in the field, that’s a great feeling.”
Currently, his firm is working on industrial building projects, and he is focused on locating duct banks, light poles, and equipment. He says technology is vital to an electrical firm’s success and allows crews to get a jumpstart on installations.
“The old methods work, but they are much slower and take up more man-hours,” he says. “In my field, with the use of a Total Station, one person could do it in one day where it would take three people a week to do without it.”
Over the next decade, he would like to work more closely with the engineering department.
“I enjoy the design side of it, and that’s the best place to see it,” he says. “I plan to keep asking questions and to keep learning everything I can to help wherever I am needed.”
