Joined Ames: 2013
Position: Forklift Operator, Minnesota Maintenance Facility
When a close friend of Gerald “Bart” Bartelt was set to come to work for Ames in 2013 but changed his mind, Bart took up the offer in his place. “I climbed aboard,” he says.
Working out of the Burnsville yard, Bart spent his first couple of years with Ames building forms for bridges. “Then they needed a forklift operator and I got nominated. I started running forklift, and I’ve been at it ever since.”
Bart said he was always busy, and he enjoyed doing different things. He especially learned a lot from Roger Demeyer, from trucking to taking a spool of cable and figuring out how long it is while it’s in the spool.
“I have a lot of respect for Roger. I loved my coworkers. They were great people, and Ames always treated me well.”
Bart enjoyed his time at Ames, but now he’s looking forward to not having to worry about getting up and going to work every day. “I’ve got a nice shop and I just want to go out and hunt and fish and spend time with my one-year-old grandson and the rest of my family.”