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John Grattan

John Grattan: A Veteran Serving the Community

Posted 08 Nov 2021 by Kimberlee Sinclair, Director, Global Communications

John Grattan: A Veteran Serving the Community

H.B. Fuller knows how veterans influence communities and the world through leadership and teamwork. And during the pandemic, veterans have been crucial in securing communities during times of conflict and serving as frontline workers who fight COVID-19. We honor veterans for their service to our country, their commitment to the communities they serve, and the dedication they show as employees at H.B. Fuller.

From Intern to Expert

John Grattan came to us as an active service member in the Minnesota National Guard to work in our summer internship program. He says that he enjoyed the internships he had and getting to know and learning from his peers and other colleagues, and of course, letting loose playing TOPGOLF® with other H.B. Fuller interns. Overall, he says his work as an intern was positive: “My experience at H.B. Fuller as an intern went well. I liked the mentorship I received most of all.”

He learned a lot about how our company operates and the processes that go into chemical manufacturing. He also learned first-hand what makes an effective team member and leader. John applies self-discipline and a positive attitude to challenging projects and processes, which is a factor in his success. And, communicating with people from around the globe have shown him that effective communication is key in a project’s success as well. He states, “… the most important thing I learned was to constantly communicate with all of the teams that were involved in my projects.”

John trained as a technical engineer in the military in 2015. In his seven-year service career, he has learned to survey, draft and develop construction plans, and in doing so, quickly developed skills that translate into process efficiency, effective safety, and design of new systems in the Fridley, Minnesota, manufacturing facility where he now works full time as the Facility Engineer.

Continued Service

John is most proud of his success in deployments to Afghanistan and Kuwait and in being the graduation ceremony class speaker at the College of Science Engineering and Technology at the Minnesota State University in Mankato. Before his deployments, he learned masonry and carpentry to fulfill his duties in the field, and upon returning home in 2019, he began working for H.B. Fuller, learning to develop piping and instrumentation diagrams (P&ID) that, in part, help the Fridley plant run smoothly.

He became search and extraction qualified for the Minnesota National Guard’s emergency response team and has put his skills as a first responder to use. John helped protect the Minnesota State Capitol in the summer of 2020 and defended businesses and the police station in the city of Brooklyn Center, MN, during civil unrest. He also helped with COVID testing at the beginning of the pandemic.

He reports being grateful for the causes he gets to support as an employee of H.B. Fuller and in our community outreach to veterans and their families, furthering suicide prevention efforts and the challenges that can come with service in the military.

We Thank Our Veterans

It’s because of dedicated veterans, like John, that our commitment to be of service sustains itself. Veterans continue to strengthen our workforce, and we value all of their contributions as members of the military and leaders who exemplify what it means to be of service. H.B. Fuller joins our veterans in recognizing their accomplishments and in reaching to inspire others.

For more stories like John’s, follow #IAMConnectingWhatMatters on social media.

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