Mission: Possible with Jim Maxon

In 1961, Alan Shepard was the first American in space.
A year later, John Glenn orbited the Earth.
At the close of the decade, Neil Armstong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins made the first lunar landing. 

And with events like the launch of the Hubble telescope, spacecraft landings on Mars, the establishment of the International Space Station and space tourism flights, our exploration of the cosmos has continued to evolve.

Meanwhile, here on our tiny little patch of Earth, we’ve learned how to balance staying grounded with dreaming big. Just look at the success of the Boeing Project, a pioneering effort that has transformed South Carolina’s economy and elevated readySC as the premier workforce training program in our state. Learn more about the man behind the mission, former-area-director-turned-happy-retiree Jim Maxon.

The New Frontier

After a long and fulfilling career as a contractor for the multinational engineering and construction firm Fluor, Jim joined readySC in 2006 as the Area Director for Charleston, Dorchester and Berkeley Counties. His first three years were filled with project designs, client meetings and interface with economic development groups and employment agencies.

Then 2009 arrived, and “the world for readySC changed.” 

There were highly confidential phone calls from upper levels of state government. There were murmurings about a code-named Project Gemini. There was a mysterious contact named Jeff Stone who said that he was going to get to know Jim very well. 

The rumors that were quick to follow these top-secret goings-on piqued Jim’s curiosity, but he remained unruffled – that is, until he was personally summoned by then-SC Tech System President Barry Russell. President Russell commanded Jim to report to a special-called meeting, wear a tie and tell no one where he was going.

When Jim showed up for the appointment, he found himself surrounded by then-Governor Mark Sanford, elected officials from across the state and others “way above [his] pay grade.” When it was announced that Boeing would be creating 3,500 aeronautical jobs in South Carolina and Jim would be the guy to help make that happen – well, let’s just say that the collective vision was turned to a new frontier.

Not Rocket Science

At this news, some would stare back, wide-eyed, in shock. Some would faint. Some would politely decline the opportunity.

But not Jim.

He’d learned a thing or two about how to have confidence in the face of pressure during his time as a cadet at the Citadel and, later, in the National Guard. Then, in the aftermath of the Persian Gulf War, he spent some time on a Fluor project in Kuwait. And in 2004, when Fluor requested volunteers to go to Iraq, Jim didn’t hesitate. “I put my hand right up,” he says. 

In the Middle East, he adopted an expression of faith and commitment commonly used by Muslims and Arabic Christians that has stuck with him: Inshallah, “God willing.” If Boeing needed Jim to (quite literally!) get its project off the ground, it wasn’t rocket science – he would do it.

3… 2… 1… Lift-Off!

To get ready for lift-off, a lot of work had to be done on the front end. And that promise Jeff Stone had made earlier, about getting to know Jim really well? It started with the announcement that they were going to meet at 6:30 am every day to discuss next steps. “What?! Is this a dairy farm?” Jim exclaimed. 

But that’s what they did, designing a simplistic four-phase model for the project: pre-employment training, hands-on qualification training, factory enhancement and certification. Additionally, they created functions that paralleled those at the Columbia office, coded Boeing’s entire tool room and managed a document control staff that was initially required to keep documentation for 50 years. 

The chemistry of Jeff and Jim’s working relationship helped successfully get Boeing off the ground, and their easy camaraderie still exists today. Like a flight through a zodiac-filled sky, they’ve been crab fishing together in Puget Sound and killed scorpions with each other in Phoenix!

Out of this World

Talk to Jim for long, and you’ll begin to hear a familiar refrain: words like care, blessed and discipline. Jim is talking about the Boeing team. 

“We had a training model that we knew would work,” he confesses. “But the people made it extraordinary.” He credits the managers’ military background with creating a culture of pride, dedication and accomplishment. He recognizes the persistence and commitment of instructors who trained for a year before teaching. And he celebrates the team’s safety and compliance records, including never having a single eye injury – a priority that was established at the project’s outset. 

But a team is only as good as its director. His colleagues are quick with praise for his leadership, acknowledging how he empowered them, was approachable and stayed cool under pressure. “It always felt like we worked with him, not for him,” says Howard White, current readySC senior project director for Boeing. 

With mutual respect like that, no wonder the Boeing team was out of this world!

Houston, we have a problem. (Or do we?)

Jim is also a guy who appreciates a good analogy. And though he may speak of thunderstorms or curveballs, he prefers to approach adversity with a can-do attitude: “there’s never a problem; there’s always an opportunity.”

He was met with one such opportunity when Boeing’s turnover rate was high because trainees couldn’t make the adjustment to the plant. But rather than responding with traditional techniques, Jim looked to sea turtles.

During a visit to a sea turtle hospital on Jekyll Island, he noted how hard it was for the animals to survive with so many predators and distracting lights, and he couldn’t help but make a comparison to Boeing employees. At his next meeting, he used plastic sea turtles to illustrate his point: “we’ve got turtles out here who are trying to hatch, but they’re getting eaten up before they’re successful!” 

It turns out that the turtle inspiration was just what Boeing managers needed. They were able to put measures into place that helped reduce turnover, increase morale and ensure successful transitioning. Jim smiles to think that “the turtles still live today. They made it!” 

One Small Step

For instance, when Protected Vehicles, Inc. struggled to hire qualified welders because of stiff regional competition, Jim reached out to law enforcement officials and family court judges at the Sheriff Al Cannon Detention Center in North Charleston to determine eligibility of non-violent offenders for readySC’s welding programs. Approximately 85 inmates took advantage of the opportunity to learn the required skills, become gainfully employed and get the fresh start that they needed.  

The Eagle has landed.

He also enjoys spending time with his five grandchildren. From the kindergartner to the college student, all enjoy soccer. And at six months, the youngest likes to play with cars. But he beams when he reveals that one of his granddaughters, a high school sophomore, can hit a golf ball further than anyone else in the family. 

And while golfing occupies his time on Mondays and Wednesday, you’ll find him assisting with tax preparation as an AARP Foundation tax aide on Tuesdays and Thursdays. This is his fifth year volunteering with the Summerville team, and during that time he’s helped complete approximately 800-900 tax returns at no charge to the individual. 

Whether he’s having fun, staying busy or helping others, retirement is treating Jim well! But he is quick to point out that his time with readySC and the Boeing project in particular never really felt like work. “You have a vocation or a vacation,” he muses. “And I’ve always had a vacation!”