CAP employees work each day to ensure Arizona’s allotment of Colorado River water flows through our 336-mile aqueduct to reach our municipal, agricultural, industrial and tribal customers. Learn more about Aron from our Fleet Maintenance Department via his words below and by watching this video.
Q: In a nutshell, what do you do for CAP?
A: I am a fleet mechanic. I maintain and repair vehicles and equipment used by all the departments in CAP.
Q: How did you get into this line of work?
A: I started out in an apprentice program sponsored by General Motors called A.S.E.P. in 2000. It involved a rotation of 8 weeks of school then 8 weeks of working at a Chevy dealership for 2 years. I didn’t think I was going to turn it into a career, I just wanted to understand vehicles a little better. After spending 2 years completing school I fell in love with all aspects of vehicle repairs and spent the next 16 years working at a Chevy dealership. I pursued earning my Master Certification by both GM and ASE and became a lead heavy-line mechanic rebuilding transmissions, engines, differentials and anything else big and complicated. In reality, I stumbled into this line of work because I did not want to pay other people to fix my vehicles.
Q: How does the work you do on a daily basis affect our water supply?
A: I keep the equipment used by all personnel safe and operational so they can do their jobs in maintaining, inspecting and repairing the canal. I also help spread “good vibes” around to ensure I’m doing my part in keeping CAP a happy place to work which in turn keeps people working together and water flowing!
Q: What are some of the technical advances that allow you to do your job more effectively and efficiently?
A: ELECTRONICS!!! The biggest tool a mechanic can have these days is access to information on the vehicle and from the vehicle. Here at CAP we have a website called All Data, which is an exclusive website for mechanics that provides diagnostic, repair and general maintenance information. We also have scan tools that read data from our vehicles, this allows us to retrieve trouble codes, clear them after repairs and monitor resets. We are now also implementing a wireless system on our fleet that will read live data while a vehicle is in use and send information back to headquarters if there is a trouble code or performance issue. Hence, we will pretty much be able to partially diagnose a vehicle before it even returns to the shop.
Q: What’s the most challenging part of your work?
A: This can be answered in two parts. The first challenge is keeping up with the rapidly changing technology used on vehicles and equipment. This can only be achieved by constantly doing new training and research. The second challenge is keeping up with maintaining more than 200 vehicles and hundreds of pieces of equipment spread out from Lake Havasu all the way to south of Tucson, and achieving it with a small crew.
Q: What’s the most gratifying part of your job?
A: The most gratifying part is probably knowing that my automotive knowledge is contributing a small piece of the puzzle into the whole picture that helps keep the water flowing.
Q: What is your favorite part about working at CAP?
A: Working at CAP! There are so many things I could ramble on about being my favorite, but having come from a dealership where fixing cars and making money was the primary goal, I’d say being a part of something that actually serves a purpose for Arizona and its people is my favorite part.
