Listen to an interview on Z93 with Benny Miller, Senior CNC Machinist talking about how he got started with MERRILL, the continuous improvement and growth at MERRILL and how MERRILL is CURRENTLY HIRING and offering a signing bonus!
Date:
August 31, 2023
Participants:
MERRILL Interviewee: Benny Miller, Senior CNC Machinist
Z93 Interviewers: Matt Bingham, Adam Shilling
Z93: Alright we have a very special guest in studio this morning. Benny Miller from Merrill Technologies Group. He is a senior CNC Machinist and he’s been with Merrill since 2006. Good morning, Benny. Thanks for joining us.
Benny Miller: Good Morning.
Z93: And we’ve been talking a lot about Merrill Technologies Group recently Benny because Merrill Technologies Group is hiring. They need help – machinists, and welders and fabricators. You have been at Merrill since early 2006. Let’s start there. What led you to go to Merrill in the first place?
Benny Miller: A commercial on the radio actually.
Z93: What station?
Benny Miller: It was Z93.
Z93: Yeah.
Benny Miller: So that worked, and I heard the commercial and uhm I had taken some classes already at Delta to do this and then I heard they were hiring so I put my resume in, and they called me up and hired me.
Z93: Was skilled trades something that you always had an interest in?
Benny Miller: Yes, ever since my grandfather would talk about it.
Z93: OK.
Benny Miller: So, I had interest in getting into it.
Z93: So, the perfect opportunity just kind of popped up because you heard a commercial on the radio.
Benny Miller: Radio works.
Z93: on Z93 and decided you know what, that’s what I want to do. Now you run a machine called the Raptocut and you mentioned off the air the machine that you currently work on was the first of its kind.
Benny Miller: Yes.
Z93: What does that do exactly?
Benny Miller: It’s made to machine aluminum really fast. We do a lot of big aluminum parts, and it rips the material off at a high feed rate and we really liked the machine, so we purchased another one.
Z93: Oh wow. Nice. So that will be the second of its kind.
Benny Miller: The second of its kind.
Z93: So, talk a little bit about what with the Raptocut what sort of things are you doing? I mean I know you mentioned cutting aluminum but you’re doing stuff for defense, for aerospace. You guys have all sorts of jobs that you do at Merrill.
Benny Miller: That’s correct and ever since I’ve been there, they just keep growing. They get their hands in all kinds of different things and as were speaking they are adding on right now too.
Z93: Right so if you go to the website, you can check it out at merrilltg.com too and you realize all of the things that the company is involved in defense as matt mentioned aerospace, energy, nuclear, chemical, robotics its pretty broad including Jeff Bezos Blue Origin.
Benny Miller: Yup.
Z93: So, you build parts for their aerospace program.
Benny Miller: Yup. Its kind of cool working there. You see the customers come in sometimes and see the work and they see what we do, and you see the look on their face. That’s an awesome feeling.
Z93: So, it’s got to feel pretty good knowing that when you see whether its Jeff Bezos or what the military is doing its got to feel good knowing that you had a part in that. Even if it’s a small part it’s got to feel good.
Benny Miller: Yes, it does. You know every job you have there’s stress and everything but at the end of the day you look at what you did, and you are proud of what you did and as a whole the whole company is like that. They are continuously wanting to grow. They will do anything they can to help us grow.
Z93: And as for growth the company is currently hiring so what are some to the things that you enjoy most about working for Merrill?
Benny Miller: Umm, the benefits are really good. They do give us a lot of..
Z93: How much are you gonna get paid?
Benny Miller: Yeah exactly. We get quite a few vacation days paid. I’ve been there over 17 years now and I get 25 paid vacation days.
Z93 (Matt): Wow that’s even more than Adam.
Z93 (Adam): I know people always joke about mine – holy cow 25. I would never be here.
Z93 (Matt): You aren’t anyway.
Benny Miller: Yeah, and on top of that we get 9, I believe its 9 paid holidays.
Z93 (Matt): Holy cow! I think you might be swaying Adam to leave this job right now. People talk a lot like people don’t want to work or there’s no opportunities or there are no jobs. Merrill clearly has them.
Benny Miller: Yeah, and they are hiring for all different positions too.
Z93: And don’t forget about that $5,000 signing bonus. Up to $5,000 dollars that’s happening right now. You can apply at merrilltg.com. Why Benny was being a machinist the right career choice for you?
Benny Miller: It gives you pleasure knowing you can make something with your hands. You are cutting steel with steel. You get a sense that you are actually contributing to society.
Z93: Absolutely. Benny Miller Senior CNC Machinist Merrill Technologies Group we appreciate you taking a few minutes and talking with us.
Benny Miller: Yes, thank you very much.