Justin Reece turns a job he was stuck with into a career at Kirby-Smith Machinery’s Kansas City branch

Justin Reece didn’t grow up wanting to be a welder. He got “stuck doing it,” and decided to pursue it
as a career.

“I started out of high school with the union boilermakers as a high rigger putting structures together,” explained Reece. “Welding came with the job. It turned out that I was kind of a natural at it, and with some on-the-job training, I made it a career. That started about 12 years ago.”

Reece brought his talents to Kirby-Smith Machinery Inc.’s (KSM) Kansas City, Kan., branch in 2018. Working in the shop, he fabricated items, repaired buckets and welded thumbs on the excavators.

“A friend who I had worked with took a job with Kirby-Smith, and he encouraged me to look into it,” recalled Reece. “He said there was a lot of opportunity here. That definitely turned out to be the case. This branch has grown tremendously in the three-plus years that I have been here. I was one of three service technicians when I started, and now we have seven, and the store staff in total has expanded quite a bit.”

Enjoys helping others

Reece has grown along with the branch and was recently promoted. He now facilitates rentals and sales, which involves helping sales representatives put rental machines and attachments together to meet customer needs, arranging trucking, and assisting with sales, among other things.

“We work together to provide the best service possible,” said Reece. “Sometimes that means working long hours to make sure a customer is taken care of and gets the machine they need to meet their goals and deadlines. There is a real ‘do whatever it takes’ attitude here.”

Reece said that kind of dedication gets noticed at KSM. “It’s like everyone knows everyone. The upper management knows my name and takes a personal interest. There is a family atmosphere, and that’s great. It makes coming to work enjoyable. On top of that, the pay and benefits are great. I hope to retire from here someday.

“I thank my friend for telling me about Kirby-Smith, and I’m returning the favor by talking to others about joining the team,” he continued. “One person just started a few weeks ago.”

Outside of work, Reece spends a lot of time target shooting, a sport he’s been doing for more than 30 years. “My grandpa taught me about guns and gun safety at a very young age. For target shooting, I mostly like using handguns of pretty much any caliber from an average distance of about 25 feet. The idea is to rack up the most points you can on a silhouetted target.”

Reece also enjoys hunting and helping the less fortunate. “Kansas City is a great community that really comes together to help those in need,” he said. “There are a lot of places you can donate time and money to, and I encourage people to do that.”