Online learning experience helps one Excelsior grad work at a distance
Hydrotex is proud to count military veterans as staff members as well as Division Partners, the area CEOs spread across the nation, and Lubrication Consultants.
Working through our high-tech, high touch culture we are able to have an active, collaborative organization of entrepreneurs who partner with customers to promote maintenance reliability, energy efficiency and maximized productivity.
http://news.excelsior.edu/online-learning-experience-helps-one-excelsior-grad-work-distance/
Hydrotex is proud to count military veterans as staff members as well as Division Partners, the area CEOs spread across the nation, and Lubrication Consultants.
Working through our high-tech, high touch culture we are able to have an active, collaborative organization of entrepreneurs who partner with customers to promote maintenance reliability, energy efficiency and maximized productivity.
http://news.excelsior.edu/online-learning-experience-helps-one-excelsior-grad-work-distance/
Online learning experience helps one Excelsior grad work at a distance
Posted on Excelsior.edu By Simone Arrington On May 4, 2016
Chris Berry discovered Excelsior College while being stationed off the coast of Japan.
“In 2006 I had deployed with the US Navy on the USS Curtis Wilbur and was stationed in Japan,” said Berry. “I became aware of, and intrigued by, the program… Excelsior would give me credit for many of the instructional courses I took through the Navy such as engineering.”
Chris Berry is plant manager at Hydrotex Partners, a national manufacturer and distributor of high performance lubrication and fuel improver solutions.
“I started taking classes on a regular schedule. Since we frequently went out on missions that kept us out in the middle of the ocean for weeks at a time…I did my homework using various programs and applications on my computer and participated in class projects through chat rooms. I never set foot on an Excelsior campus, yet I regularly interacted with students, instructors and counselors thousands of miles away and around the world.”
Berry had found success in the Navy, promoted to the rank of Chief Petty Officer in under nine years. By the end of the year Berry was eager to start his civilian life and get back to family in Oklahoma. He currently lives with his wife and two children in Skiatook, Oklahoma. When not working Chris enjoys spending time with family and friends, hunting and fishing.
In early 2007, Berry started working with a medical device repair company which was a great fit except for one element. “I was lacking just a few credits to complete my degree,” said Berry. “My employer was candid with me and let me know that in order to move up I would need to complete it. Fortunately, I was able to do so over a few months through Excelsior’s distance learning program.”
Berry was able to aggregate his prior learning from military trainings and other college courses to Excelsior College. “Majority of jobs in the Navy, Army, or Marines consist of skill-based training and with that training we can translate that into college credit for us.”
In 2010, Berry was hired by his current company, Hydrotex Partners, as a facilities manager. Just as in the Navy he quickly rose through the ranks with promotions to director of operations, then plant manager, his current title which he’s held for three years.
“Our company culture is heavily collaborative,” he said. “Our company’s manufacturing Plant and National Distribution center are in Tulsa; our corporate headquarters and learning center are in Dallas, and our Division Partners, who serve as area CEOs are spread out across the nation. The skills I developed studying through Excelsior’s virtual classroom are being used daily as I work in a virtual organization of entrepreneurs.”
Berry relies on his verbal and writing skills for effective communications in this environment.
“I’m not able to be in the same room with many of my co-workers and customers so I rely on my verbal and writing skills, and the latest in technology, to make sure we all understand one another,” he said. “It’s similar to my experience while on the ship and communicating with my classmates and instructors through the computer with chat rooms and other applications.
Berry supervises 11 employees and marvels at the differences between leading in the military and leading in the private sector.
“In the military I could ask someone to jump and they’d ask ‘how high?’ In the private sector it’s completely different. I have learned to look at things from the employee’s perspective in order to get the job done and I’m much more patient.”
Berry also cites self-worth as a challenge between military and civilian life. “I left at the top of my game in the military then had to start near the bottom of the private sector ladder. It took me a couple of years – and a lot of perseverance – to adjust and to find the right environment that allows me to use and expand my skills.”
Editor’s Note: A portion of this story was submitted by Linda Beheler, director of public relations at Hydrotex.
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Hydrotex helps customers develop sustainable solutions designed to improve system reliability, save energy, limit pollution, extend fixed asset life, reduce maintenance costs and improve fuel efficiency. Its products and services leverage more than 75 years of innovation resulting in superior lubrication solutions and high touch customer service. For more information and to find your local Hydrotex consultant, contact www.hydrotexlube.com