Andrey Kelin, Dry Ice Blasting Machine
Technician in Decatur, applies his life-long fascination with
machinery to the maintenance and operation of Continental Carbonic's
50 rental machines. Andrey frequently assists with contract
blasting and assists customers and the sales force with technical
support.
“I've liked machinery since I was 12. When I was young,
I used to get into trouble because I would always be taking
things apart. Whether it was a wall clock or a telephone, I'd
take it apart to see how it worked," Andrey says. Andrey
was born in St. Petersburg, Russia, in 1980. During his clock
deconstruction years, he always had an obsession with machinery. "I
got my first motorcycle when I was 15," he said. "It
was a Czechoslovakian Java 250 cc. I took it apart from the
tires to the transmission, repaired it and put it all back
together."
Drake Durnell, Continental
Carbonic Zone Manager from Chicago, confirms Andrey's machinery
fascination. "I was in South
Carolina and needed someone to do a demonstration for me, as
we had limited opportunity to do it," Durnell said. "I
asked Andrey to do the demo. He agreed and went as far as asking
me if I wanted him to take the machine apart and show them
how it works. Andrey really wanted to show the customer how
it was put together."
Andrey further developed
his expertise at the St. Petersburg College of Refrigeration
in St. Petersburg, Russia. In the 3- 1/2 year program, Andrey
learned about industrial refrigeration systems, including
dry ice blasting equipment. Andrey became curious about opportunities
in the United States. "In
Russia, you can work at just about any job, but your earning
potential is limited. The economy is very bad. Unless you were
to get into a shady business, you really couldn't get ahead
financially," he said. Andrey moved to the United States
in 2000, settling in Champaign, Illinois. Language was challenging;
Andrey only spoke Russian when he arrived. "It took nearly
a year for me to feel comfortable talking with someone in English," he
said. Andrey studied English at the University of Illinois.
Andrey Kelin found a job
working for a company that sells and services restaurant
equipment. Andrey met and slowly developed a rapport with
a customer, Dragan Cuk, a Continental Carbonic Branch Operations
Manager. After a period of time, Dragan asked Andrey if he'd
like to work for Continental Carbonic. Andrey began work
with Continental Carbonic in late 2005, working on machines
and helping out in the branch. He immediately showed his
value, according to Shelly Brown, Inside Sales Manager, Blasting. "Andrey is my right hand," Shelly said. "He
decreases downtime on the fleet with repairs; he helps with
technical support and gives me a greater confidence when sending
out machinery." Drake Durnell echoes Shelly's thoughts. "Andrey's
careful attention to these machines means I can send them out
to customers confident that our blasting customers can depend
on them.. Be it replacing hose wraps, cleaning the machines
or cutting slots for cables on the sleeving, I know it's right." Andrey
has other responsibilities besides blasting machines. He helps
serve customers at the Decatur branch, designs and builds ice
tongs and bagging tables, takes an active role in contract
blast jobs and recently has been working on repairing and rebuilding
band saws. Andrey is especially fascinated with dry ice blasting
machines, though. "The thing I especially enjoy is the
challenge of the dry ice blasting machines. The principals
of the machines are the same as others, but it is such a unique
piece of equipment," he said. "It's fun to take it
all apart, just like my motorcycle when I was younger." Andrey
Kelin is another of the dedicated Continental Carbonic Products
people competently serving your dry ice needs.
