Cody's New Job

Cody started his new job yesterday at Solar Turbines. It was a day full of meeting with HR, watching movies about safety, confidentiality and sexual harassment and filling out paperwork. He got to meet a lot of other people that were also starting that day (all the new employee's start on the same day so they can have one big HR day instead of tons) and told me all about the company when he came home. It was so cool!

The building where he was yesterday is where The Spirit of St. Louis was built. You know, the plane Charles Lindbergh flew? And apparently the man who built it haunts the building and you can still see his ghost roaming the halls. I don't think I'd freak out if I saw a ghost....But that would still be kinda freaky to see!!!

One of the founders of the company didn't take any money for himself for 8 years until the company had started making money. Then he started receiving a salary. Can you believe it?! 8 years! That's a LONG time to go without a paycheck!

They have a chapel on the company property. They're one of two companies in America that has a chapel on work property. They wanted a place where workers could go to just get away and relax and meditate. The company bought all the supplies and told the workers to build it if they wanted it. They did - in their spare time! Isn't that cool?

When the company started in 1929 they were building planes. Since it was the depression and no one wanted a plane they switched to just building anything (like frying pans). They got a contract to build something -can't remember what - for $500. Then they got another contract to build something else....an after...something. I can't remember what it's called either. It's After something because I asked Cody what it meant and he said "You've never heard of after....?" and I said, "No, I've heard of afterbirth......."


Anyway.

They got that contract for $5000. They wanted to take it, but they didn't have any money to pay their employees so they told them they had a contract but couldn't pay them. They said if they would do it without pay, they'd pay them when it was done. After 7 months, they finished the contract and the company paid all the employees, and gave them each $100 bonus! Which, I'm sure, in the Great Depression was a lot.


I am so excited for Cody to start working with Solar Turbines and I'm so glad I haven't heard one bad thing about this company! I can't wait to learn more about it!!