It can be tough as a young adult knowing what career path to choose. For some, it can be figured out as they work their way through school or by participating in various extracurricular programs. For others, they have known what they ‘wanted to be’ since they were little kids. That was the case for one particular RME employee as it was something he had grown up with and has had a passion for since a very young age.

Located at RME Red Deer, Journeyman Heavy Equipment Technician Keifer Janz grew up around the construction industry with his father being a Shop Foreman for a small construction company. With the opportunity to see the ropes early on, Keifer was able to begin working at age 13 as a Shop Hand, then moving on to taking field service calls and getting a taste for working on equipment.

Keifer began working for RME in October 2013 while he was a 2^nd year at Red Deer Polytechnic, formerly known as Red Deer College.

“I wanted to change from on-road equipment to construction equipment working for a dealership. I was driving around, handing out resumes when I saw a construction equipment line-up outside of RME. Luck would have it, they needed techs,” said Keifer.

According to RME Ag Equipment Sales Consultant and coworker Ethan Brown, Keifer has always had a passion for fixing anything and everything.

“Keifer lives life with a wrench in his hand,” he said. “He is a master of diesel engines and hydraulics. All of our customers always welcome him back if they ever need any more repairs because he is fast, efficient, and very good at what he does.”

Keifer primarily works on CASE CE equipment at RME Red Deer but can be found working on New Holland equipment upon occasion. He said having the opportunity to work on AG equipment has given him a new appreciation for farmers.

“I really enjoy learning about the process it takes for farmers to grow their crops and how the machines do their tasks.”

For anyone looking to get into the Journeyman Heavy Equipment Technician trade, Keifer has a few words of advice to pass along.

“Some of my best lessons have come from learning from mistakes. There are a lot of resources so don’t be afraid to ask for help,” he said. “You get out of the trade what you put into it; passion can carry you a long way into the industry.”

RME is very proud to have someone like Keifer be part of the team. His passion for his trade goes a long way towards doing  and also shows that if you do something you love, you’ll never work a day in your life.

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