Oscar Martinez

PC: PC 351 / Redmond, WA
Start Date: June 4, 2013
Position: Mechanic

How did you hear about Sunbelt Rentals? How did you find out about your position? 

One day, as I was in need of an engine lift, a friend of mine had gone into my PC to see if they had one available. As she went in, she noticed the sign advertising that they were looking to hire a mechanic. Knowing my abilities as a mechanic and my customer service/ interpersonal skills, she went in, asked a few questions, then realized that working here would an ideal fit for me. What made working here even more ideal was that it is located merely a mile from my home.

Why Sunbelt Rentals over other companies?

Naturally, location was the biggest factor. I was also going to school to finish my degree, so when I mentioned this in my interview, the PCM had expressed that they would do what they could to work with my schedule. Ultimately, this flexibility was a certain deciding factor as well as realizing the opportunity to expand on my skillsets with the vast variety of equipment Sunbelt provides.

Brief summary of your military background & career path with Sunbelt (to date and what you plan for the future)

I joined the Army right out of high school and initially served for 5 years. My focus was aviation, so I enlisted to become an AH-1 Cobra Helicopter Crew Chief/ Technician. I was fortunate to begin my military career locally, as I had Basic Training here at Ft. Lewis, WA (now known as JBLM). During this first term, I was also cross trained on OH-58 Scout Helicopters (similar to the helicopters your local news channel utilizes) and UH-1 Huey Helicopters. Shortly into my enlistment, the Gulf War/ Desert Storm had begun and I was soon off to join the forces in Saudi Arabia. During that year, I functioned as a Huey Crew Chief/ Door Gunner. When I returned to the states, I had come across an opportunity to become a UH-60 Blackhawk Crew Chief. After completion of that course, I was given orders for a tour of duty in Korea for a year to crew Blackhawks. I found this experience to be particularly exciting and fulfilling as, besides getting to become proficient on another aircraft, this position was also an integral part of the flight crew. After this tour, I was assigned to the 1st Infantry Division (a.k.a. "Big Red 1") to continue my function as a Blackhawk Crew Chief. As the Big Red 1 is our nations' oldest continuously serving Army division, I thought it was quite a unique experience to get to be a part of such a significant, historically recognizable unit. My first term of enlistment ended here, but I decided to expand my military experience by re-enlisting, this time joining the National Guard. During the next several years, I returned to crewing Huey's and then was offered an opportunity to pursue CH-47 Chinook Helicopters. My military career came full circle as I spent the remainder of my enlistment with the National Guard where I crewed both Chinooks and Huey's. 

The position of being a Crew Chief is of particular significance as each aircraft is assigned ownership to this person. It is the responsibility of the Crew Chief to know each aircraft, nose to tail, as well as managing the various specialized shops that will assist in its' daily maintenance (i.e. Avionics, Airframe, and Powerplant). With this experience, my future endeavors have broadened from simply maintenance, to potentially that of a Service Manager.

In your own words - tell us a little about your experience here at Sunbelt Rentals: 

Working here at Sunbelt has been both challenging and fulfilling. It has provided me every bit the experience I hoped to find as well as offering all the opportunity in my skillset growth. I have really enjoyed the support structure I've discovered here at Sunbelt. Any time I have had a question when it came to new equipment I was not yet familiar with, it was easy to find someone who was knowledgeable in it. It has also been great to find that, as large of a company Sunbelt is, getting in contact with key corporate resources was always prompt and accessible. Teamwork and peer support is something I look for in a company I enjoy working for, and when new employees are brought on, it's the same perspective and effort I do my best to provide.