C-TEC Integrated Part of Family, Workplace, and Economy

One day, we got a call.  “We have an opening in the preschool.”  As a dad of triplets, I said, “Call me when you have three!”

C-TEC called back.  The program leadership saw the value of giving two years’ worth of childcare students a chance to list triplets experience on their resumes.  My youngest kids got their first chance to get to know C-TEC at four years old.

It wasn’t the last.

My son would go on to graduate from the high school engineering program.  Proving the value of career technical training, he’s now employed in a laboratory and nearly ready to fly the proverbial nest.

C-TEC marks 50 years.  For many of those years, I can recite how C-TEC, and its variety of programming, has integrated into my family, workplace, and our local economy. 

Certifications and recertifications matter.  Over the years, the Port Authority has employed C-TEC grads.  Our operations coordinator, Bill Wright, got both a C-TEC high school diploma and, later on, a certification in networking through C-TEC.  Networking wasn’t even a thing when he graduated.  Now, it’s an essential credential. Our whole team has gotten office skills training.

Customized industry training matters.  One of our Port Authority Board members, Fred Paul, first came to work with C-TEC when he was in the local manufacturing industry.  Later, he switched teams to join the C-TEC customized training side as the training-industry connector.  That effort put C-TEC on the map locally, really nationally, in the all-important pre-employment training realm.  C-TEC’s approach has been a national model many have duplicated for decades.

That thing about being a national model can’t be overemphasized.  I tagged along a couple years ago when a national author, Joel Kotkin, was seeking to shine a spotlight on the people and places where career technical training was matching up with the growing manufacturing sector.  He specifically asked to go to C-TEC.   The school’s students and programs were the magnet for Kotkin’s City Journal article soon after.  Great story.

Career readiness matters. Air Force Colonel Vicki Reed, retired commander of AFMETCAL, one of our customers on the Port Authority campus, stayed in Licking County.  Now, she’s connecting the students with industry for work experiences that are rooted in keeping the talent right here after graduation.

Add unique experiences to the list of what matters.  Senator Sherrod Brown’s team lent his power to convene to encourage STEM and manufacturing camps reaching middle school kids. C-TEC stepped up years ago.  Last Summer, the middle schoolers got to tour a cleanroom and witness testing labs at work.  Most adults never get that sort of experience on their checklists.

Workforce impact matters. Workforce readiness translates to economic impact.   C-TEC has smoothed the path for our existing companies to upskill their existing workforce.  Every successful manufacturer in town can recite how C-TEC has helped fulfill their workforce needs.  Ariel Corporation, with a plant in Heath, has brought on a workforce from about every level of the working age with C-TEC at their side. Ariel’s location and expansion in Licking County is greatly owed to that workforce impact.

It matters to every company and every prospect.  In my role, I’m always pitching to potential job creators the capabilities of Licking County to deliver on a hard-to-deliver promise of providing a skilled workforce.  Companies need to find skills available now and into the future.  C-TEC is part of that pitch with all of these capabilities. 

I know my personal story is replicated in other families and workplaces too.

The C-TEC 50-year story is an all Licking County story.

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This column was submitted for publication in the Newark Advocate supplement celebrating 50 years of C-TEC.

My Story: It's Like Teaching Triplets to Drive

I didn't get the chance to really introduce myself at the first meeting of a new Board I was asked to volunteer for recently.

It's kind of a shame.  I had prepared, in my head, my personal story thinking it as an analogous insight into what kind of Board member I will strive to be.

I'll share.

No personal story of mine is complete without talking about my kids.

Since September, I've been teaching my triplets to drive.

I know.  It's a shock to the system to even think about doing that.  I was mostly calm.  

Add value or stay quiet. That was my aim going in.

So far, my daughter seized the most of my discretionary time to train.  I'll pick on her for the story.

She was driving 90-degree-turn country roads a mere four hours into her training.  We went everywhere.  She drove suburbs.  She drove exurbs.  She drove cities.  She really needs to know all of these places to be good at driving.  

She also can't just drive where it's easy to drive.  I knew she was up to the challenge and challenged her to go where it was harder. 

She got beeped at and, probably, sweared at behind her back.  She had to learn to not take it personally.  It comes with the territory.

We got root beer in Zanesville and smoothies in Coshocton.  We picked up her grandma at the airport in Columbus.  Driving herself gave her a greater appreciation of her home state than she got just being along for the ride.

When she too often was looking backwards in her rear view mirror, I would break my silence to redirect her to look forward and care about what's in front of her most of all.

We all have blindspots.  It's natural.  It's how our brains work.  That's what I taught her.

She became a better driver when she recognized she had blindspots and went about knowing where they were and compensating for them.

Side note.  I'll have to confess my own proverbial blindspots.  I don't have any idea what it is like to be a teenage girl driving a car nicknamed Marvin.

Back to the story.  

Good news!  My daughter got her license the day after her 16th birthday.

She's a good driver.  I'm proud of her success.  She knows she has a lot of room to get better.  I'm proud to be there to help her get better.

There are some big changes coming for her.  And for her mom and me.  Change beats the alternative.

Final side note.  I was, strangely, calmer turning the driving over to my teenagers than I was to the autopilot in a car I had a chance to sit behind the wheel of recently.

What does that say about me? 

I'd like to think it says that I believe in people.  I am more comfortable trusting, mentoring, and delegating to people in the future, because I am fortunate to have learned from people who have trusted, mentored, and delegated to me in the past.

I'll have to look for another way to make my Board introductions, but I didn't want to miss sharing my personal story in the meantime.

Beautiful Ohio

Ohio is deserving of shedding the pejoratives flyover country and "Rust Belt" and a scene like this one from Buzzardroost Rock in Adams County, Ohio is proof enough.

My triplets appreciate their home state.

Spring Break: The Full Urban to Rural Experience

This Spring Break, my kids got the full experience.

They stood on "The Ledge" of North America's tallest structure, looking down from the 103rd floor of the Willis Tower in Chicago.

They stood among the dairy cows at Young's Jersey Dairy near Yellow Springs, Ohio.

They liked both.  I predict they will like suburban living though when they are old enough to decide (and fund) things on their own.

Christmas Countdown: Ornaments of My Kids

My family Christmas tree isn't going to win any beauty contest.  Admittedly, it's a hodge podge.  And we love it!

 
I have ornaments, both hand-made and store bought, adorning the tree.  Some of them my kids made.  Some, I made as a kid.

Every ornament has a story.  Here's the story on some of the ornaments that are associated with my kids.

Their grandma gave the kids ornaments of themselves.  They decided to keep them together on the tree.

Here's some more.  These were from the triplets' first Christmas.

Like I said.

 

Natasha got this one from her first Ohio Christmas in 1999.  She used to be a prolific figure skater.

Brooks plays guitar.  I think this one actually plays music too.

Manufacturing Efficiency Comes With Maturity

 

 

Manufacturing is analogous to my kids' pumpkin carving.  Every year, they get more and more efficient at production.

Each kid asked for and got no more 30 seconds a piece this year.  All I did, this year, was cut the goop off of the bottom of the stem cut-out.  That's a mere 90 seconds.

Pretty soon, I won't be doing anything at all.

That's efficient.

Spring Break In Review

We ate at the revolving restaurant in downtown Indianapolis, explored fossils at the Indiana History Center, and enjoyed the heck out of the Children's Museum of Indianapolis.

The impromptu stop was the best one, though. If I convince one of my kids to go to my beloved Mother Miami (aka Miami University), I bet this slightly out of the way stop over in Oxford was part of it.

Here's hoping.

Ten Years of TriPlatts: Happy Birthdays!

My triplet children, aka the TriPlatts, celebrate their birthdays today, March 13. I've been taking a "family" departure in the editorial realm the last few days.  I did this to document those first ten years worth of memories, but I hope I shared some entertaining thoughts along the way.

Minutes old on this date in 2003.

John at 12:22 a.m.  Brynley at 12:23 a.m.  Brooks at 12:24 a.m.  It's the TriPlatts birthdays today.  Number ten.

Birthdays.  Notice the plural.  Today, we'll be celebrating three birthdays on one day at the Platt household.  We've had thirty birthday celebrations in ten years, and going.




First birthdays.

John's birthday

Brooks' birthday

Brynley's birthday

See the whole Ten Years of TriPlatts series:

The First Moments
Like a Frat House
Feeding Three at a Time
Three Kids vs. Triplets
Comments From the Gallery
These Booties Are Made For Walking
Gotta Go Potty?
Top 3 Electronics
Top 3 Baby Proofing Devices
Off to School

Ten Years of TriPlatts: Off to School

My triplet children, aka the TriPlatts, celebrate their birthdays on March 13. I'm taking a "family" departure in the editorial realm the next few days. Thus, I'm taking ten days plus the last one, that March 13, to reflect on ten years with John, Brynley, and Brooks. I'm doing it to document those first ten years worth of memories, but I hope to share some entertaining thoughts along the way.

The first day of school.

Off to school they go.



 

To Congregate or Separate: Whatever you decide, the school may think differently. I thought keeping them in the same classroom was best, but we only saw that happen one time in the first five years of school. Though I think it's best to keep them in the same classroom when they are in the early grades, I've now been convinced (that wasn't easy, ask the Principal) that separate classrooms work better as they grow older.

 

Preschool graduates.

Getting On Lists: "We'll call you when there is an opening." That phrase doesn't ring well when a triplet parent hears it. "Call me when you have three!" I replied when I heard that.

But places will work with you. The preschool got an opening and opted to expand the class by two to accept the triplets. It was a vocational school preschool and it sure looked good on the students' resumes to say they preschooled triplets. The business side of having triplets can be a win-win, even for "full" programs out there.

One season, I was related to the whole outfield.

Competitive Sports:  Premature babies mean smaller kids with slower muscle development.  Most sports programs don't know what to do with a less mature child so competitive sports takes some low parental expectations.  They will catch up in time, but don't expect to have the fastest kid on the team for a few years. 

It's interesting to think of being related to the entire tee ball team's outfield, though.  And when they can all play the same sport at the same time, the logistics are easier too.

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Tomorrow:  Happy Birthdays!

Ten Years of TriPlatts: Top 3 Baby Proofing Devices

My triplet children, aka the TriPlatts, celebrate their birthdays on March 13. I'm taking a "family" departure in the editorial realm the next few days. Thus, I'm taking ten days plus the last one, that March 13, to reflect on ten years with John, Brynley, and Brooks. I'm doing it to document those first ten years worth of memories, but I hope to share some entertaining thoughts along the way.

One of the gates that worked well.

Baby proofing for one kid is essential.  Baby proofing for triplets is harder, because they teach each other and learn from each other how to get around your best efforts.  A triplet household is a testing ground for baby proofing devices.  I know what works and, most of all, what doesn't.  My kids stayed safe, but it wasn't easy.

 

Here's my top three, but I wish it only took three.

 

Gates:  No entryway or hallway is alike.  You need a gate that works in any variety of places.  My favorites were the ones that had flexibility in where they could go and had a gate within the gate. 

Door Latches:  You need door latches on your refrigerator, your toilet, your downstairs door, your outside doors, and, especially, your kitchen cabinet doors and drawers.  You need to prevent sliding closet doors from sliding and figure out how to keep infants out of the toilet while letting grandma's into them.

The kitchen drawers are the most vital to keep little hands out and most of those sold are quickly defied by triplets.  I found the only ones that worked were the ones that included metal parts.  Plastic, alone, can't withstand much use.  Adhesive ones?  Yeah, right. 

I found the Safety Solutions spring-loaded latch the best.


Keeping them in or keeping them out?

Portable Fencing:  When they are mobile, you can't be everywhere.  The gating system was a must-have.  At first, it kept our dogs safe from the kids mobile devices.  Later, it kept the television on its stand and the Christmas tree 98% out of reach.  Regrettably, the promise that they couldn't penetrate the gate sooner than age 3 was wrong and the Christmas tree found that out the hard way.

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Tomorrow:  Off to School

Ten Years of TriPlatts: Top 3 Electronics

My triplet children, aka the TriPlatts, celebrate their birthdays on March 13. I'm taking a "family" departure in the editorial realm the next few days. Thus, I'm taking ten days plus the last one, that March 13, to reflect on ten years with John, Brynley, and Brooks. I'm doing it to document those first ten years worth of memories, but I hope to share some entertaining thoughts along the way.

More to learn on here than just standing up.

This reflective blog series is turning more into a "Recommendations of a Triplet Dad" piece instead.  Here's three more.




Stand Up Tables:  I don't remember what it was called.  It only was needed for a few months, but it was probably the most important electronic device for teaching my triplets.  The table was designed to help them learn to stand up.  It did that and more.

It also had music and things to turn.  They learned how to use their hands and their minds too.  These were worth every penny.

Electric Chairs:  They weren't actually called this, but I called them electric chairs.  They were vibrating bouncy chairs that helped infant babies sit up and occupy themselves.  As crawling became popular in the Platt household, the bouncy chairs kept them happy and contained so I didn't have kids in three different directions.  Own a trio, triplet parents.  Own a trio of them.

Leapfrog Leapsters:  Ready for preschool?  Though electronics are a small, small part of the mix, I found one electronic that helped.  At age 5, it was time for Leapfrog Leapsters.  Like pretty much everything, we needed three.  Most games, though, you only needed one.  These were great learning tools.  They learned how to use electronics (that's a useful life skill indeed) but also learned more on their alphabet from these devices than anything happening.

The first two gave us sanity.  The last one gave them an edge in learning.

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Tomorrow:  Top 3 Baby Proofing Devices

Ten Years of TriPlatts: Gotta Go Potty?

My triplet children, aka the TriPlatts, celebrate their birthdays on March 13. I'm taking a "family" departure in the editorial realm the next few days. Thus, I'm taking ten days plus the last one, that March 13, to reflect on ten years with John, Brynley, and Brooks. I'm doing it to document those first ten years worth of memories, but I hope to share some entertaining thoughts along the way.

The potty alarm that worked the best.

The kids will read this someday so we'll quickly move through this embarrassing topic.  It can't be avoided though.  It's a multiple times a day topic. 

I still haven't recovered from calling it the potty either. I still catch myself asking adults if they have to use the potty too!

Buying Bulk:  I changed 10,000 of them, but that wasn't even half of the total of diapers we went through in the triplets diapered years.  The UPS guy brought our diapers by the boxful once a month.

Preschool Requirement:  Boys are tougher than girls.  I can tell you that.  But you can't send 'em to preschool if they aren't potty trained.  Nighttime was even harder.  Don't wait too long!

Potty Alarms:  The problem is that disposable diapers are so good that the babies never get this discomfort that comes from going potty in them. 

We tried multiple systems and approaches, but the one that worked was the Rodger Wireless Bedwetting Alarm that let them know, loudly, when they had a mistake and even came equipped with a device that vibrated the bed if they did too.

Don't waste time with anything else.


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Tomorrow:  Top 3 Electronics

Ten Years of TriPlatts: These Booties Are Made For Walking

My triplet children, aka the TriPlatts, celebrate their birthdays on March 13. I'm taking a "family" departure in the editorial realm the next few days. Thus, I'm taking ten days plus the last one, that March 13, to reflect on ten years with John, Brynley, and Brooks. I'm doing it to document those first ten years worth of memories, but I hope to share some entertaining thoughts along the way.

The Step 2 Choo Choo train rode everywhere with us.

Ways of getting around are another triplet topic.


Owed to Ford's Engineers:  My kids mom blames the engineers at Ford for the triplets coming early.  She was worried.  I couldn't figure out how to fit three car seats and the triplet stroller into our 2002 Ford Explorer and, at the same time, fit our oldest daughter and we. 

 

We debated what to do about the car "situation" on the evening of March 12, 2003.  One shouldn't upset a woman who's pregnancy left her measuring bigger around than she was tall.  Then, I would get the phone call to turn around and come to the hospital just as I got home.  She blamed it on the car design debate.

 

The Triplet Stroller:  Our Peg Perego was able to handle three babies once they were old enough to sit up on their own.  It got too heavy too pull, though, as they get much past one year old.  Though there was nothing else to use to get them around for that first year, it was a crying shame to buy such a massive investment as a triple stroller. Then, try shipping it after you sold it on e-Bay.

 

 

Step 2 Choo Choo Train:  Once they were old enough to walk, the Choo Choo Train from Step 2 was the mode of transportation in greatest use.  It lasted until they were almost five.  It went everywhere from the zoo to, even, church.  It was great.

 

Sadly, Step 2 had discontinued production when we were looking to buy it in late 2003.  I went so far as to, literally, call the CEO of Step 2 and try to see if he had one in the back room.  (He didn't.)  We managed to get one with a way-high bid, though, on e-Bay. I justified paying more knowing it would resell well.  But, ironically, we found Step 2 had restarted production by the time I was ready to sell it to a future user.  The resale value had sunk by then.

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Tomorrow:  Gotta Go Potty?

Ten Years of TriPlatts: Comments From The Gallery

My triplet children, aka the TriPlatts, celebrate their birthdays on March 13. I'm taking a "family" departure in the editorial realm the next few days. Thus, I'm taking ten days plus the last one, that March 13, to reflect on ten years with John, Brynley, and Brooks. I'm doing it to document those first ten years worth of memories, but I hope to share some entertaining thoughts along the way.

Yes, my hands, and my lap, were full.

 

The comments you get from strangers wherever you go takes a bit of tact mixed with a bit of tongue-biting.  You'd be amazed the things you are asked.

"I bet you have your hands full.":  This is the most common among passersby.  Every person thinks that they are the clever inventor of that phrase.  If I had a dollar for every time I heard it, though, I might be half way to paying for my kids college already.  As they get older, though, you hear it less and less. 

Note to triplet parents:  After about five years old, you truly have your hands less full and it gets easier.  So, maybe it's no coincidence that five is the age when you start hearing that phrase less and less.

"I'll tell you about my sex life after you tell me about yours first.":  Alright.  I never said that, but I was surely tempted to many times.  Even after ten years of being asked, I still find myself in shock at the people who are so bold as to ask how my triplets were conceived.  Oddly enough, I've never found a pattern as I've been asked by people of all backgrounds.

"God blessed us with three.":  This was my stock answer.  I got so good at anticipating the conception question, that I could work these five words into the conversation before someone even asked.

Trust me triplet parents.  This one works!

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Tomorrow:  These Booties Are Made For Walking

Ten Years of TriPlatts: Three Kids vs. Triplets

My triplet children, aka the TriPlatts, celebrate their birthdays on March 13. I'm taking a "family" departure in the editorial realm the next few days. Thus, I'm taking ten days plus the last one, that March 13, to reflect on ten years with John, Brynley, and Brooks. I'm doing it to document those first ten years worth of memories, but I hope to share some entertaining thoughts along the way.

Nope. No hand-me-down Halloween costumes.

Understanding the difference between having three kids spread out in ages versus having triplets is subtle, at best.  Even us triplet parents don't think of it until we have to.

 

Buy Everything at Once:  Have three kids?  If you follow, strictly, the sizing rules for bicycles, for example, you'll buy seven of them spread among your three kids before they turn 18.  With triplets, you'll buy fifteen.  Translate that to clothes and other things that, in most families, get handed down and used by multiple kids in a family before they wear out.

All at Once Has It's Advantages:  There are some things where doing it in triplicate means getting it all done in one full swoop.  I think of volunteering in your kids' school.  In most families, if you agree to volunteer in the third grade, for example, you get to do that for as many kids as you have.  With triplets, you only see third grade once.

Tooth Fairy Deflation:  The tooth fairy in a Triplet home is less generous.  Call it deflation.  My kids' know of some kids that, believe it or not, get $10 for a single tooth.  If a triplet family's tooth fairy did that, it would cut into the college fund.  My kids get $1 (Except for when on vacation and the tooth fairy could only find a five.)

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Tomorrow:  Comments From The Gallery

Ten Years of TriPlatts: Feeding Three At a Time

My triplet children, aka the TriPlatts, celebrate their birthdays on March 13. I'm taking a "family" departure in the editorial realm the next few days. Thus, I'm taking ten days plus the last one, that March 13, to reflect on ten years with John, Brynley, and Brooks. I'm doing it to document those first ten years worth of memories, but I hope to share some entertaining thoughts along the way.



Dinner in Year 2

When to Eat--Before Year One:  When they were infants and since God gave most of us just two hands, it was hard to feed more than two at a time.  Though their mom figured out how to feed all three at once, it was easiest to stagger eating times at that age.  Until month four and they were sleeping through the night, our house was like Waffle House--open 24/7 for diners.

When to Eat--After Year One:  Then, as they graduated to high chairs, it was easiest to get them all to eat at the same time.  Eating is a big deal.  It still is!

Buying Baby Food:  No one liked being behind me at the grocery store when the TriPlatts were eating solid food sold in jars.  You can't buy a bulk baby food container.  It's one at a time and small.  I never found a cashier who could shorten the time it took to scan through a week's worth of baby food jars fast enough to make anyone behind me in line anything but annoyed.

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Tomorrow:  Three Kids vs. Triplets

Ten Years of TriPlatts: Like a Frat House

My triplet children, aka the TriPlatts, celebrate their birthdays on March 13. I'm taking a "family" departure in the editorial realm the next few days. Thus, I'm taking ten days plus the last one, that March 13, to reflect on ten years with John, Brynley, and Brooks. I'm doing it to document those first ten years worth of memories, but I hope to share some entertaining thoughts along the way.

My first feeding, for John.

I can't attribute the comment, but whomever said it was right on about the early months of being triplet parents.  "Having triplets is like living in a frat house--lots of bottles, someone's always in the bathroom, and someone's always awake.

I never lived in a frat house, but I have lived in a triplet one and that's right on.

Bottles:  Though my wife breast fed as much as possible, life still required bottles.  Our sterilizer was as big a one as I could find, and it wasn't big enough.  When it was time for formula, I used an entire container and mixed it all at once.

Sleep:  Until rice cereal got added to the formula, we didn't sleep.  That was four months of sleeping when you could.  The saying triplet parents hear is sleep when they sleep.  Easier said than done since someone was almost always up.

Bathroom:  We bought diapers by the UPS delivery load every month.  Enough said.

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Tomorrow:  Feeding Three At a Time

Ten Years of TriPlatts: The First Moments

My triplet children, aka the TriPlatts, celebrate their birthdays on March 13.  I'm taking a "family" departure in the editorial realm the next few days.  Thus, I'm taking the next ten days plus the last one, that March 13, to reflect on ten years with John, Brynley, and Brooks.  I'm doing it to document those first ten years worth of memories, but I hope to share some entertaining thoughts along the way.

The TriPlatts.  Today.

Moment One:  The first news came in late August 2002 in what we would later find was the sixth week of pregnancy.  An earlier test had confirmed pregnancy.  This was the first ultrasound to see progress. 

The doctor found a beating heart in the ultrasound, then, just as quickly, he found two.  "It looks like you're having twins," the doctor said.  "Congratulations!"

I kept looking when he said, "What's this abnormal mass over here on the right side?" 

Now a minutes-long, experienced ultrasound viewer, I noticed the third beating heart before he finished his sentence.  "Oh my," I uttered out loud. "That's $300,000 a year for college!"

Yes, those were my first words upon hearing the news.  That was moment one.

Moment Two:  A later ultrasound would tell me that we were having two boys and a girl. Frankly, I wouldn't have had it any other way. Three boys would have been a lot of fighting. Three girls would have left me alone in the prom years.  Again, my ultrasound expertise was put to the test. 

Moment Three was seven months later at Week 34, Day 5 of the pregnancy.  A "normal" triplet pregnancy doesn't last much longer than this anyway, but they did come a bit early.  When they came, it was March 13, 2003 at 12:22, 12:23, and 12:24 in the morning.

Nothing captures this moment better than the photo I got to take soon after they all three got back together again for their first TriPlatt photo outside the womb.

My brother's slide show below sums up the first day pretty well.  Warning:  It's a tear jerker, too.

 

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Tomorrow:  Like a Frat House.