America was built on the blue collar worker. It was their hands that pounded in the last spike to complete the transcontinental railroad. It was they who paved the way to settle the west and tame the American wilderness.
America’s cities, industrial machines, factories, and mines were established on the hard work of the blue collar worker.
My father got his first job building bridges back in 1997 and for the better part of the decade, he gladly worked his hands to the bone.
Those hands paved the way for two daughters to go to college and to help each of his kids purchase their first homes. They allowed him to build his dream house and purchase a little cabin on a lake in the woods.
Today, those hands bear the marks of years spent toiling away at the American dream, rising through the ranks from laborer to operator, operator to foreman, and eventually to a superintendent of a newly launched company.
His story is like so many other blue collar workers composing todays work force. The site 1 in One Hundred Million is devoted to sharing the personal stories of people who do the many important and too-often unrecognized jobs upon which we all rely.
Each month the series profiles ordinary people in the workforce, telling the stories of Firefighters, Trauma Nurses, Union Electricians, Restaurant Servers and Teachers. The series is sponsored by Kronos, makers of innovative workforce management software.
April’s 1 in one hundred million series features Brett Laxton. In 1993, pitching for LSU, Brett set a College World Series final game record throwing 16 strikeouts to win the championship.
It was just the beginning of his baseball career as he pitched for the Oakland Athletics in 1999, and the Kansas City Royals in 2000. But baseball has always been in his blood his father also played in the majors.
Now, the former major league pitcher makes hand crafted wood baseball bats for Marucci, a brand used by players like Albert Pujols, David Ortiz, Andrew McCutchen, José Bautista, Chase Utley, and many more.
It’s hard to believe Marucci has grown from the humble beginnings of a backyard shed in Louisiana to the become the number one bat in the Big Leagues.
This post is written on behalf of Kronos through Find Your Influence by me. All opinions are 100% mine.
Oh, I love this! It’s nice to read stories of people that make millions in tech or something but these are the stores that matter!
Brett sounds like an amazing guy! So inspiring! Thanks for sharing.
This sounds like an amazing series! It is great that the blue collar workers are being recognized!
This is such an inspirational post. Your father sounds like an inspiring man.
What a cool story! This is something my hubby would love.