The Paducah Innovation Hub and the Purchase Area Technical Center are pleased to welcome carpentry instructor Tyler O’Brien.
Mr. O’Brien grew up in Ballard County and graduated from Ballard Memorial High School. After graduation, he joined the US Marine Corps. While in the Marine Corps, Mr. O’Brien was a combat engineer, working mainly in construction and demolition. Combat engineers perform a variety of military engineering duties, such as breaching fortifications, demolitions, bridge-building, laying or clearing minefields, preparing field defenses, and road and airfield construction and repair.
Mr. O’Brien served in the USMC seven and a half years at posts in Jacksonville, North Carolina and San Diego, California doing heavy timber construction and rough framing.
After leaving the Marines, Mr. O’Brien said he wanted to stay in the construction industry in a job that would give him the opportunity to lead and mentor students while also going to college to pursue a degree in construction management.
“I wanted to still be able to lead and mentor people. This job kind of fell into place, because I was doing a lot of leading and teaching of new Marines,” said O’Brien. “It’s nice to fall back into the same type of atmosphere as well as having a good team. Everybody here has welcomed me with open arms- it’s a great feeling to be part of a team still.”
Mr. O’Brien’s dad worked for many years at FDR Honda on Broadway, so he grew up riding motorcycles. On his days off he says you’ll find him either in the garage working on a motorcycle or out riding his ’08 Harley Davidson Dyna.