Building Roots

Colby Allen is a lifelong Sedro-Woolley resident who grew up knowing Janicki was around without fully understanding what the company did. That changed in 2004, when, as a high school senior, Colby was named as a Rotary Student of the Month. He attended a Rotary luncheon at which Janicki representatives spoke about internships and opportunities. This gave him his first real look at the company.

Colby worked part time for Janicki when he was younger and spent his summers working in the 5-axis mills as an operator. In 2006, he was one quarter short of finishing his degree when his wife became pregnant, and to provide for his growing family, he committed to working full time. From there, his career took shape. He started as a supervisor at mills 5 and 6 in Hamilton, then moved into a scheduling and production management role. With a solid foundation at work and at home, he returned to finish his associate degree in 2014 and set his sights on project management.

Building a Career

Colby spent the early part of his career within the industrial group, the catchall for marine tooling and the go-to crew for nearly any project outside of aerospace. The work demanded a great deal of creative problem solving, which was the team’s specialty. The company’s reputation drew customers from around the world, and the team extended its reach into aerospace, taking on more tooling, demonstrator vehicles and pole models.

His track record led to his first project working with extremely detailed parts, where he pioneered special tooling and grew his skills in new areas. His experience runs deep on the shop floor, too: he has operated nearly every mill Janicki has built and helped stand up the company’s machining program in Utah.

That foundation opened the door to a project manager role. After a few years of training while staying involved with his team, Colby was officially named a project manager. With Janicki’s support, he went back to school to finish his bachelor’s degree at Skagit Valley College, balancing life as a full-time student, employee, husband and father.

The Move to Construction

After earning his bachelor’s degree, Colby was approached by Janicki’s facilities director about a new opportunity as a construction project manager. Construction was a new field that he had not explored, so he leaped at the chance to do something new while putting the skills he had developed at Janicki to work.

His day-to-day can mean anything from groundskeeping and maintenance to constructing new offices, handling renovations and overseeing machine installations. He applies his problem-solving skills to questions like what requirements need to be met, how to handle design and structural issues, and how to get the job done efficiently.

His most recent accomplishment is the newest building on Janicki’s Hamilton campus, which included unique equipment that each had specific needs. The project meant connecting all Janicki’s assets and combining the efforts of many departments. Seeing the project go from concept to production was especially rewarding.

Colby says his favorite part of the job is twofold: the people, experts whose work is well regarded by customers and staff alike, and the variety, since no two projects are copy and paste. The people, he says, “are craftsmen and women; they are experts in their field. Whether it’s the hands-on folks or the technical folks who help with the design, they are a bunch of smart, hardworking people.” And the work keeps evolving: “Even if you have been here 20-plus years, you are always seeing new things and finding new ways to get them done.”

Giving Back

Colby’s love of the outdoors led him to support Scouting America. Janicki has backed the organization for more than 12 years, and about six years ago Colby volunteered to join the effort. Over the past three years he has worked his way up to a chairman position supporting Pull for Scouting. He strives to be a role model for young people and teach them to be safe and responsible around firearms. Throughout his time there, Pull for Scouting has raised almost $300,000 for shooting sports for youth in the Pacific Northwest.

Colby also recently graduated from Leadership Skagit, a nine-month leadership development program run by the Economic Development Alliance of Skagit County (EDASC) in Mount Vernon. Now in its 21st year, the program has graduated about 669 participants, with yearly cohorts of roughly 28 to 32 community leaders who each deliver a community project meant to create a sustainable, beneficial impact.

This year, Colby’s six-person group, the River of Leaders, partnered with the Children’s Museum of Skagit County in Burlington to launch Help Me Grow on the Go, a mobile family resource center. The group took a retired Burlington Fire Department ambulance, cleaned and detailed it, and gave it a wrap designed to welcome children. The center lets the museum drive its resources out to community hubs like the Upper Skagit Library and communities upriver such as Rockport and Concrete, reaching regionally isolated youth and young families with educational kits, supplies and necessities. The team completed the project on time, rolling it out April 18 at the YMCA Healthy Kids Day, with appearances since at Blast from the Past in Sedro-Woolley and an expected spot in the Berry Dairy Days and Fourth of July parades.

“It is not just executives and managers,” Colby says. “It is the everyday person who wants to gain the abilities and skills it takes to be a leader.” As he looks ahead, he hopes to stay involved and make a lasting impact on his work, his family and his community.

Life Outside of Work

Colby lives on a couple of acres outside of town with his wife, Allia, their two children, Cinthia and Owen, as well as a cat, two dogs and a dozen chickens. In his free time, he enjoys hunting birds and big game, fishing and hiking with his family. Whatever the season, he is happiest on an adventure outdoors.

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