Back to Boeing
Life does not always gift us do-overs. Just when you think you have found the “perfect” fit, sometimes it is taken away for no discernable reason. There are times when the “great opportunity” will create new problems in your life that was supposedly “on the right track.”
This was the case with Dean Hatch when he was first recruited by the Boeing Aircraft Company. He was asked to move from Mesa to Everett Washington and work on the Boeing 747 aircraft. It was a dream come true for Dean and his new bride.
The new locale and the intensity of the work was a dramatic change for Dean. His job was to take information from microfilm and then update the engineers so they could make revisions to the aircraft.
Dean began to have difficulty with his immediate supervisor. He was diagnosed with Receptive Language Disorder, where a person has trouble understanding and processing words. Unfortunately for Dean he was laid off from his job.
He found himself feeling sadness and remorse for this loss as well as for the fact that his marriage also broke up. On occasion he would go on a public tour of the Boeing facility to feel like he was part of something once again.
His family encouraged him to move back to Mesa. He worked at a variety of different jobs and went back to school. Eventually, Copa Health (then Marc Community Resources) came into his life. Dean entered the Supportive Employment Program and worked with Employment Specialists to create a new path in life.
One day he was asked to go talk to Janey Durham (Vice President of Employment Related Services & Day Programs) about a new program Copa was about to embark on. When Dean heard that the new program was with Boeing, he was overjoyed and felt a sense of new hope for his life.
“I never dreamed I would have another chance to work for Boeing,” Dean reflected from his home in Mesa. “I was thrilled to be given an opportunity to be one of the first in this program.”
Janey added, “When we initially met with Boeing, I asked for two internships that could lead to direct hires. It was meant to be that Dean was one of those first two.”
Dean works in the Electrical Center of Excellence, which does the wiring for the Apache Helicopters. Copa Health is currently an on-site supplier to ECOE being managed by a Boeing Front Line Leader. Copa Health crews (8-12 individuals) have two job coaches, which are employed by Copa Health, to assist in daily operation and health needs.
Because of Boeing’s progressive thinking and Copa Health’s excellent ability to administer programs that benefit both employer and employee, Dean Hatch’s dream of working once again in the field of aviation was fulfilled. The second time was the charm for both Boeing and Dean!
