Leadership group starts at Boys & Girls Club

MOSES LAKE - About 15 kids learned more about the nuances of leadership and character-building as new Torch Club members.

The students, mainly ages 11-13, are also members of the Boys & Girls Club in Moses Lake.

Thursday's meeting featured a talk from Chuck Sutton, REC Silicon's head of commercial planning, and a Boys & Girls Club board member. He spoke about leadership and his career at the company.

Sutton began working as an operator, later advancing to the positions of supervisor and manager.

He told the students to take their skills and develop them.

"If you can do that, it creates opportunities for you," he commented.

He asked the kids to describe what a leader is.

They replied with range of answers, including someone who is good with people, has responsibility, is a role model and doesn't think negatively.

Leaders are positive and polite, have integrity, are trustful, and have vision, drive and commitment, Sutton added.

He also explained how leaders have good organizational skills, but that everyone makes mistakes.

It's important to plan, budget and continually improve.

He also spoke about the importance of good citizenship, cultural understanding and understanding people.

Leadership skills are built by doing those things.

The group learned more about REC Silicon, one of Grant County's largest employers. The company offers several types of jobs.

The jobs are mechanical, chemical and electrical engineers, managers, supervisors, gas operators, payroll clerks, accountants, computer, medical, trainers, welders, machinists, pump specialists, lab testers, buyers, designers, drafters, salesmen, product managers and marketing.

The company also has a sister plant in Butte, Mont., and eight worldwide locations, doing business in 50 different countries.

He's traveled to 25 countries in seven years on business.

In Moses Lake, the company is four times larger than it was a few years ago.

REC Silicon's customers use their products to make LCD screens found in TVs and computers.

Sutton also shared photos of his international travels with the company and gave the students plush molecules to take home.

Afterward, the kids received small lapel pins from the Boys & Girls Club to wear to their weekly meetings.

Savannah Gonzales, 9, of Moses Lake, said she decided to join the club because she thought it was interesting to learn how to be a leader.

"When we were doing our permission slips, it said we would help the community in different ways," she said. "I thought that was really neat. We need a change in the community. We need to get more food to the poor people and to help people."

Damian Torres, 10, of Moses Lake, became involved because he always wanted to be a leader.

"I wanted to be ready for life," Torres said.

Joey Valdobinos, 10, of Moses Lake, said he thought the club sounded kind of cool.

"It's really interesting and really fun," he added.