The Brazoria County Petrochemical Council’s Signing Day has been an avenue for local seniors to land a job right after high school, giving them the opportunity to blossom into a career.
Dow Chemical, Associated Builders and Contractors and more than 50 other companies have partnered in BCPC Signing Day to bring in the next generation of construction and manufacturing employees by bringing in graduating seniors in Career and Technical Education programs from 20 surrounding high schools. Each student sits down with four different companies on a designated “Interview day,” then on Signing Day, it is revealed which companies hired them.
However, Dow Analyzer technician Edward Sablatura’s signing day looked a bit different. Because Sablatura graduated in 2020, he was not able to sign with a company until 2021, he said. Nor did he get to experience signing day because of COVID-19.
After graduating, he received a job as a deckhand at a marina. It was about nine months to a year when he received a call about becoming a pipefitter for Phillips 66.
“I ended up leaving after nine months because I was going to work for BASF, but a second wave of COVID hit, and this job got canceled,” Sablatura said. “I went back to deckhand until I could find another job.”
After working as a contractor for a supply shop, Sablatura got a job at BASF as an analyzer technician and was there until October, when he began his career at Dow.
As an analyzer tech, Sablatura said he works on instruments that control the process of the plant and unit.
“I work in the hydrocarbons unit, so we get our product, and we put it in a furnace,” Sablatura said. “It tells me what we’re putting into the furnace, the chemicals we’re breaking into a concentration. It also tells us what product we’re putting out, its purity and how much of it we were making.”
For Sablatura, Signing Day helped him get into the plants after graduating from Brazoswood High School and get a foot in the door, he said.
“I think it’s a great program because many people don’t know what they want to do after they graduate high school,” Sablatura said. “I knew I wanted to work in the plants, but many people never thought of it. There are more opportunities than just what Signing Day offers. It’s a great opportunity to get a start out of high school.”
Lance McLaren, analyzer technician for INEOS, also had an unusual experience with Signing Day.
“My experience is probably a little different than everybody else’s,” McLaren said. “I actually was competing at a track event whenever they interviewed for signing day. I communicated with the people who had put it on, and they had set up for me to go in a day later and interview with the companies.”
McLaren graduated from Sweeny in 2022, and afterward, Contech hired him as an electrician’s apprentice. Six months later, McLaren was hired by INEOS as an I&E apprentice.
“I gained the experience, and six months later, I was given an opportunity as an apprenticeship through INEOS,” he said. “I only became an analyzer technician a little over six months ago. So I’m still learning and doing a lot of new training today.”
In the spring of 2023, McLaren graduated from Brazosport College with an associate of science in instrumentation. He is returning to college to get his bachelor’s in industrial management and hopes to climb the ladder, he said.
“This gave me a great stepping stone to start and help me grow my career,” McLaren said. “Signing Day made it extremely easy because it helped compile a lot of places that opened a lot of doors.”
Ashley Shugart, of Contech Contractors, feels similarly, saying Signing Day built up her confidence and interviewing skills and put her name out to potential future employers.
Contech hired Shugart from Signing Day in 2023 after she graduated from Columbia High School. While working for Contech, she went to Brazosport College and graduated in May with her associate’s in instrumentation.
Shugart’s job is troubleshooting various transmitters, flow meters and valves.
“I try to figure out why they aren’t functioning properly and fix it so we can properly run and monitor the process in the plant,” she said. “I’m getting a lot more hands-on experience on troubleshooting valves to monitor how everything’s running in the plant safely without over-pressurizing or being too hot.”
Shugart plans on returning to college to get an analyzer and electrical degree. Her goal is to move up the ladder and eventually become a manager.
“I enjoy what I’m doing, and the way Signing Day helped me get a foot in the door has made me realize how much I liked doing this occupation as an internet tech,” Shugart said.
Michael Martinez, a Performance Contractors pipe welder, also said Signing Day gave him a foot in the door for his career. Performance Contractors hired Martinez out of Signing Day in 2022, and he instantly felt that’s where he needed to be.
“The companies that I interviewed with weren’t really my cup of tea, but Performance Contractors is more hands-on and they offer ability which is what I was going for,” Martinez said. “So we chose each other. They helped me a lot, and they’ll take care of you.”
As a pipe welder, Martinez said it’s very straightforward, depending on the machine you’re operating. Martinez typically deals with long, heavy pipes and, therefore, has to be careful when they’re rotating to avoid massive damage or injuries, he said. Martinez is in the process of getting his associate degree in quality control at Brazosport College, and eventually, he wants to get his bachelor’s degree to become a certified welding inspector.
“I’m really close to getting my associate’s degree; I just gotta find the time to finish my classes,” Martinez said. “Signing Day was the opportunity to start making money as soon as I got out of high school and start my career.”
Cynthia Zelaya is a reporter for The Facts. Contact her at 979-237-0151.
