Meet Karleen Coulter
Karleen Coulter, Certified Parts Technician
Learning about the pieces that make machines work is something Karleen has always been interested in. Ever since she took automotive in high school she has been doing her own oil changes and work on cars. When she found out becoming a Parts Technician was a Red Seal trade, she knew it was the right career path for her.
Karleen, who is originally from Prince George, BC, made the move to Alberta in 2008 because of the better job opportunities in the province. While on a different career path at that time, she later made some changes and decided to do something she really enjoyed. She began working at Hanlon in July of 2016, and completed her Parts Technician certification in early 2017.
Karleen decided to get into the agriculture side of things early on. “In Alberta farming is a big thing, so I thought it would be an interesting way to go.” Karleen says it’s the people in the agricultural community that really make her job enjoyable and that is why she prefers it to the automotive industry. “It’s also more fast paced, and I like that,” she says. “There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t learn something new.”
Karleen is always looking for ways to improve her customer’s experience. She got the ball rolling on the serial number locator tool which can now be found on the website. She says sometimes customers are unsure of where their serial numbers are, and don’t have them when they come in for parts. “[Without the serial number] it can be a guessing game,” she says. “When our customers drive a long way to get here, and maybe have to come back and return a part, it wastes their time.” Karleen recommends snapping some photos of the serial numbers, and keeping them saved on the phone, so they’re always easily accessible.
When Karleen isn’t coming up with creative ways to keep things running efficiently in the parts department, she keeps busy with a full household. She lives about 25 km outside of Lethbridge with her boyfriend Tim, his two daughters Kierra and Kenna, their two Nigerian dwarf goats and three dogs. Karleen jokingly laughs as she refers to it as her “funny farm.” They all enjoy spending family time together which usually consists of dirtbiking and camping in the warmer months.
Karleen likes working at Hanlon and says there are a lot of reasons that make it a great place to work. “It’s the people and the atmosphere- they treat us well,” she says. “It’s just a great overall company to work for.”
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