Bill King didn’t always anticipate that his career would take him where he’s gone with Clyde Companies.
“I grew up in the farming and construction industries,” Bill said. “I thought I was going to be a mechanic as a kid. So, after high school, I studied to become a mechanical engineer at Utah State, but life happened as it does, and I wasn’t able to finish my degree.
“While taking a break from school I moved back to Idaho and started a construction company building residential homes. I did that for a number of years, but the challenge was that in the back of my mind I felt that school had got the best of me and I wanted to go back and finish it. When the economy had a downturn in the late 2000s, I decided to go back and finish my degree but focus on civil instead of mechanical engineering. I had three kids at that point, so that was a big ask.
“When I graduated, I went and worked for a few coal companies, which I really enjoyed. I worked as a mining/environmental engineer and learned about the procedure for mine permitting and planning. That’s what I do today at Clyde Companies.”
Working for Clyde Companies had been in the picture for some time, even if he didn’t know it at first. Previously, Bill interviewed for a position with Geneva Rock, a subsidiary of Clyde Companies. However, the timing just wasn’t right.
“Even though I didn’t accept the position at the time, I kept getting emails from their Human Resources department about open positions,” Bill said. “Then, in 2018, I read about a position with Clyde Companies that included everything I was already doing for the coal mines, and it intrigued me. So, I applied for it and got the job.”
Bill works as a Property and Environmental Specialist and enjoys the opportunity to see Clyde Companies’ operations from a broader perspective.
“I get to play a key role in keeping all of our mining operations underway,” Bill said. “Right now, everything is ramped up. We need more production, and some of our mining and air quality permits are limited as to what we can produce, so we are actively trying to increase those as fast as we can so that we can keep up with the current demands.
“We’ve worked to create a system that tracks all our permit requirements and sends out alerts to help everyone stay on the same page throughout the process.”
The work is critical to ensure mining operations are running smoothly across all subsidiaries of Clyde Companies. Bill has loved his job since day one and knows that there’s something different about working here.
“I’ve been a part of a lot of different organizations, and by far I’ve enjoyed working at Clyde Companies the most,” Bill said. “Why is that? Part of it is that they provide good challenges, and I enjoy a good challenge. I like putting my energy and ideas together to try and fix something.
“It’s a great family-oriented company, and everyone’s very personable. I’ll be given tasks and encouraged to try and solve them by thinking outside of the box. There are just great people that work here, and there are great opportunities to show your skills. You’ll get the recognition that you need here.”
