January 15, 2015
Every one of us is more than just our work and the services we provide. We have families, hobbies, and other passions that fulfill our lives and make us better at what we do each day. After working in this industry for a few years, I’ve gotten to know many of the people that make up the EMC community at large and at Elite. Here is a brief look at what makes our Elite family so unique and diverse…
With the new year in full swing, many people make resolutions to lose a few pounds, learn a new language or try a new hobby. This month’s employee in the spotlight is a man with hobbies to spare. The beekeeping, bow-hunting, hog-riding, pepper-mix master extraordinaire Craig Bowes is full of diverse skills and is a true asset to our EMC team. Read below to learn a little more about this fascinating and multi-talented Bowes brother:
How did you get into EMC/testing?
When I graduated from Devry I did a short internship but I was looking for something permanent. My brother Frank Bowes was working at Elite and talked to Craig Fanning to see if there were any openings in the programming or testing positions. I interviewed Mr. Klouda and Craig Fanning and found that the programming aspect was already set but they did need someone in the testing aspect so they hired me and back to school I went to learn electronics.
What is the most rewarding/favorite aspect of working at Elite?
I love that most of the customers I work with comes in with a different product so each test is unique in either the product and/or the specification that they are testing.
What do you love about keeping bees? How did you get started?
A good friend of mine and his wife got started keeping bees and were very excited about it and wanted me to do it too, it took three years for them to talk me into it and I have enjoyed it right from the beginning. I enjoy beekeeping because Honey Bees are very interesting and unpredictable and will keep you learning about them and their behavior every day. When harvest time comes I like to process each super separately to get as many different flavors of honey as I can (each super will generally have its own unique flavor), other beekeepers laugh at me and tell me I have too much time on my hands but I love seeing the reactions of people when they taste the different flavors.
Honey Tip: Do not throw away the honey that has crystallized! Crystallization is a good thing; it shows you that you have a jar of very good raw unpasteurized honey (the best honey for you). To de-crystallize your honey simply put it in a pan of water and warm it up like you would a baby bottle (do not boil the water and do not use the microwave).
Any tips for aspiring apiary enthusiasts?
If you are going to get into beekeeping make sure you take a beekeeping class with the park district or from the beekeeping association, and most of all get to know a beekeeper. Ask them to be your mentor because you will have millions of questions as you go.
What’s your proudest moment in life so far?
I have two proud moments of my life, one is going back to school at age 42 and graduating 4 years later with a degree and the second is watching my wife develop her archery skills and going from shooting wildly to making me sweat that she will score higher than me.
How many times have you been stung?
Over the course of my beekeeping, I think I’ve been stung about 100 times. A couple of memorable times were once during harvest I was stung three times in the butt as I walked away with their honey (my wife laughs about that one), and another time I tried to work with them on a mild Jan day without my bee suit on thinking it would be too cold for them to come out and bother me but I was wrong and was stung 5 times in the back of my neck.
If you had a personal motto, what would it be?
Hug a beekeeper and eat more honey (Beekeepers motto).
Any New Year’s Resolutions for 2015? I really don’t do New Year’s resolutions but if I were to make one it would probably be to learn to slow down and enjoy things more.
Year Started at Elite: 2004
Areas of Expertise: Automotive EMC test procedures, Whole Vehicle test procedures, and CISPR 25 Chamber Validation test procedures
Education: Devry University B.S.C.I.S; Wabaunsee Community College Certificate in Electronics
Industry Certifications: Certificate in Business Administration and Lean Operations from the University of Illinois at Chicago
Unique: Beekeeping, Bow Hunting, Archery 3D shoots, Harley Davidson Motorcycles, creating a hot pepper mix
