Joe McCarthy, Grade Tech Mechanic, is celebrating 3 years with the company this month. To commemorate that milestone, he is supporting the family of Sergeant Bill Hooser, a Santaquin County police officer who was recently killed in the line of duty. Grade Tech donated $1,000 to the GoFundMe page to support Hooser’s wife and family as part of the company’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.”
Joe explained that the tragic death of Sergeant Hooser hit close to home for him. “My dad is a retired cop, and my brother is a cop in West Valley, so this story holds a special place for me,” he said.
Rory Hall says he is more than happy to donate to a fallen hero. “We are big supporters of our boys in blue and are happy to donate to such a worthy cause and to honor Joe for his dedication to the company,” he said.
Now a mechanic for Grade Tech, McCarthy—who is affectionately known as “Joe Dirt”— joined Grade Tech in 2021 as a driver. The Plymouth, Massachusetts native who moved to Dugway early in his childhood, had an interest in construction and the trades since high school when he and his classmates built a house as their school project.
His teacher, who was a general contractor, got him a job working for a concrete company. He started working for that company when he was just 14 years old and worked there for five years. He then learned the plumbing business from his former father-in-law and worked as a journeyman plumber for a decade.
Joe has always loved trucks, so when he left the plumbing business, he pursued a CDL license and built a career on the road, making long hauls for more than 12 years. When his wife encouraged him to look for something local, Joe found Grade Tech.
Joe drove for his first two years at Grade Tech and fixed his rig when needed. When Grade Tech got into the concrete business, Joe put his plumbing experience to use setting up the plumbing for the Batch Plants. When the plants were set up, he didn’t want to go back on the road, so he approached Rory about being a mechanic.
“Joe McCarthy had proven his skills under the hood and as a valuable employee,” Rory explained. “So, I was more than happy to support his request to become a mechanic.”
Joe loves the everyday challenges of working as a mechanic even though he says it sometimes takes a couple of
days to figure out how to repair some of the equipment. “I know cars and trucks but a lot of this is new with the equipment and the Batch Plant,” he explained. He says he has learned a lot from Joe Nielson, our equipment mechanic, who helps him to troubleshoot any problems he runs into.
“Joe Dirt” hopes to continue building his mechanical skills and is grateful for the opportunity he has at Grade Tech. “I’m glad I got the opportunity to become a mechanic and I know the more I learn the more valuable I will be,” he said. He also explained why he likes working at Grade Tech, “They treat you good, pay you good, and Rory takes care of everyone very well. 
He also likes having new equipment so it’s nice to work on. He takes care of us…it’s a great place to work.”
Joe likes working at Grade Tech so much that he encouraged his son Kicen, who was working in the industry as a pipelayer and had experience with concrete, to apply for a job. Kicen joined the Grade Tech team in 2023 as a laborer and has already worked his way up to a Junior Foreman.
Joe believes in family staying and being together. He spends his weekends with his family playing corn hole, riding motorcycles, and “ tinkering on house projects.”
Please join us in congratulating Joe McCarthy on his 3-year anniversary with Grade Tech and wishing him more success in the years to come!
