December 2021
Can-Do: adjective. Characterized by or exhibiting a determination or willingness to take action and achieve results. See also. Chet Chilcutt.
This month I want to bring focus to someone that just simply does not care what is being asked, he is going to say yes, I can do that, yes, I can help you, yes, I will get that done…just yes. This isn’t done out of the desire or belief there will be some reward or recognition, he just cares about each person that works here, about taking care of the customer.
Chet Chilcutt started at Lone Star Communications November 15, 2018, as Warehouse Coordinator. He very quickly established himself as a Can-Do person. He goes 100mph, always, with whatever task he has taken on. It did not take long for him to get promoted to Warehouse Manager and start a now well known streak of getting the ab-so-lute best pricing from our vendors. So much so, that we had a noticeable drop in material costs.
At one of our recent quarterly executive visits, we did an exercise where each person had (3) index cards, with the mandate to fill each one out for anyone there that had helped them, was a positive impact on the business, lived our values. I would say we had about 28 people in that visit, and Chet received about 20+ cards from that group.
Chet was born in Irving “God’s Country” Texas and was raised there by his parents until he was 8. On their way to vacation in the Smokey Mountains of Tennessee, they stopped in Bryant, AR where his mom fell in love with a house there, and they bought it. What? Yes, his parents saw a house on vacation, and then bought it and moved to Arkansas.
Now. That’s not as odd as it sounds. Both of his parents are from Little Rock, AR. His dad, Gaylon, was a district manager for multiple auto parts stores, and his mom, Kay, was a medical billing coder, who also taught coding at Remington College.
In high school, Chet was known for being outgoing (shocked face), editor of the high school paper, being on the football team, quiz bowl team, getting along with just about anyone, and achieving Eagle Scout in Boy Scouts.
“At night I work at a college as a janitor even though I feel like I am smarter than everyone. Sometimes I’ll see an equation written on a blackboard, even like half an equation, and I’ll figure it out.” Chet, that sounds like the plot to Goodwill Hunting. “it’s not, anyway, my best friend is Ben Affleck”. LOL.
Away from work, Chet is passionate about helping youths; baseball commissioner in his local community, coaching baseball and football, grilling/BBQ, a huge Tennessee Titans fan (by way of Houston Oilers), Texas Football, Dallas Pro Teams (Not Cowboys, thank goodness), and Taco Bell.
He has three (3) kids that are his world; Karson (10) who loves baseball, Fortnight, and is highly intelligent in math, Anniston (8) loves playing with her babies, loves to cook, and of course, make-up, and Austin (6) who loves football, nerf guns, and whatever Dad is doing at the time.
I asked Chet, how did you end up at Lone Star? “I was coaching flag football with Jay Bradley, and I was talking about how unhappy I was at my job. He suggested that I apply for the open warehouse coordinator position with Jennifer. I sent in my resume, came in for an interview, the rest as they say, is history.”
What keeps you at Lone Star? “I love that we work as a team. I have been places where it’s about individuals. I love that people believe in me and help me succeed. We operate as a family, have each other’s backs. Leadership cares about the employees here. I consider it a blessing to work at Lone Star.”
Here are some fun facts about Chet:
(1) national sports column award winner his junior AND senior year
(2) loves all types of music
(3) terrified of heights, and
(4) in the 7th grade, he formed an air guitar band named Fenix Tattoo. They played a grand total of zero (0) shows.
Chet was recently promoted to Assistant Project Manager, which was a result of his hard work, dedication, drive, and want to. We get more positive feedback about Chet from all corners of LSAR, and our customers, than probably anyone else. We talk about hiring the right people and then figuring it out? Chet is the poster of that movement.
You want to know who Chet is? Here is his favorite quote: “When you want to succeed as bad as you want to breathe, you’ll be successful.”
If you haven’t met Chet, please do yourself a favor – introduce yourself to him, ask him anything, and then just settle in for the ride. It will probably take about 2 hours, but it’s worth the conversation.
- Kevin Henderson, Chief Operating Officer, Little Rock