Dalton Newbold, Junior Estimator and Drone Operator, is celebrating 3 years with the company this month. To commemorate that milestone, he is supporting an organization that hits close to home, the Parkinson’s Foundation. The national organization aims to make life better for people with Parkinson’s disease by improving care and advancing research toward a cure. Dalton lost his grandpa to Parkinson’s disease a year and a half ago. He saw first-hand how important the support and research are.
“I want to give back to an organization like this because they do a lot of research to try and combat the symptoms while people are still alive,” he explained. “When my grandpa began to shake and lose his balance, he was able to use boxing lessons to improve his balance and confidence.”
Grade Tech donated $1,000 to the Parkinson’s Foundation in Dalton’s name. The charitable contribution is part of Grade Tech’s “giving back” program which supports the local community by celebrating employees’ work anniversaries (after the first 3 years of employment) by making annual donations to the employees’ “charities of choice.”
“I am proud to honor both Dalton Newbold and his grandpa with a donation to the Parkinson’s Foundation,” said Rory Hall. “Research has found ways to prolong life and improve quality of life for those with the disease, but there’s still a lot of work to be done, so we are happy to support such an important mission.”
Dalton’s career at Grade Tech is somewhat unexpected. The Salt Lake City native, who holds a bachelor’s degree in Wildlife Science from Utah State University, had other aspirations. After meeting Rory, he decided to throw his hat in the construction business. “During my studies I did a lot with GIS (Geographical Information Systems), so Rory thought I would be a good fit with doing the drone work,” Dalton explained. “It’s been an eye-opening experience. There is not a lot of crossover between my degree and this job, but there are some environmental implications we have to watch out for on projects.”
Dalton says that although he never “saw” himself going into construction, he really enjoys it and is eager to learn. “I come from a family of salesmen, so construction wasn’t necessarily in my DNA, but I love it—I love the thought of helping build the infrastructure that builds America!” he said. “This job requires the ability to learn and retain knowledge and implement it quickly. Plus, I need to be tech savvy for the drone and GPS and software we use.”
Dalton credits Rory and Rory’s dad, Billy, for taking him under their wings and teaching him the business. He also likes the brotherhood and camaraderie he has found at Grade Tech. He said,” I like the feel of the family-owned company. It feels like a brotherhood. I’ve worked for a bigger entity where you don’t feel that. Everyone moves as a unit here, and everybody works together toward the same goal.”
Dalton also likes the challenge of adapting to the new situations he finds himself in every day. His role affords him a good balance between office and field work at different job sites, and he gets to learn by watching Rory in action—oh, and did we mention he gets to fly a drone? “It’s pretty sweet to be able to fly a drone,” he said, adding, “And I also get to see the back end of things, watching Rory do bids, put out fires and respond to client needs. I learn more about the GPS and estimating every day and look forward to progressing within the company.”
In addition to building his career, a big part of Dalton’s life is music. In his free time, he likes to make music in a program called Logic Pro where he writes, produces, records and masters all of his own songs. Below is a song he dedicated to his Grandpa, When A Hero Dies. He has performed at The Complex, Liquid Joe’s, and the Loading Dock. The former college baseball player also enjoys playing softball, fishing and going to concerts.
Please join us in congratulating Dalton Newbold on his 3-year anniversary with Grade Tech and wishing him more success in the years to come!
