In college, Julian, Travis, Patrick, and Ryan hung out regularly – often in the Dog Pound on campus, talking mostly about sports and catching up on homework.

Today, the four Thomas College alumni work in the same office at one of the fastest growing companies in Maine, F3 Manufacturing.

These four Thomas College alumni have come a long way. They have seen great success, and a lot has changed over the past few years. One thing that hasn’t changed – their great friendship and connection made while at Thomas.

“Working with Thomas alums is great. We all have similar connections and a similar educational background,” said Julian Margitza ’16. “We know each other’s strengths and weaknesses, and we can all pitch in to complete a job where we know we can contribute and add value. Having an opportunity where I get to work with my friends makes work really fun.”

Julian, who studied business management at Thomas, has worked his way up at F3 Manufacturing – from purchasing to sales and now as General Manager.

“The Business Management program at Thomas prepared me for my job because each class was focused on different tasks: HR, accounting, sales, purchasing, etc. I was able to become well rounded, and my role at F3 is that I need to know how everything works,” said Julian. “Thomas prepared me to apply what I learned in the classroom to real world situations.”

Growing up, Julian never thought he would be working at a manufacturing plant, but now he can’t imagine doing anything else.

“Manufacturing has so many different aspects to it and so many fast-paced moving parts that it makes every day interesting,” he said. “We handle new issues and develop new products and processes daily. It is always something new, and that makes coming to work fun.”

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Travis Blondin ’15, M.B.A. ’16, who works in Order Processing and Marketing for F3 Manufacturing, graduated in 2015 with a sport management degree and directly afterwards completed the Accelerated MBA program in 2016.

He says he’s grateful to be working for F3.

“It’s a growing company and each day is a little different, which leads to a really fun and exciting environment day-to-day. Everyone is sort of wearing multiple hats, as we need all hands on deck to meet our goals as one of the fastest growing companies in Maine,” said Travis.

Travis said he gained a lot from his well-rounded business education at Thomas College, especially the high intensity of the Accelerated MBA course load.

“The MBA program was great because it provided us an opportunity to do high-level projects/tasks in individual and group settings in realistic timelines. That program helped me become prepared for managing a large project or task(s) and meeting deadlines with a high quality and valuable product at F3,” he said.

Travis says he was lucky that he met lifelong friends at Thomas College.

“Life can sometimes get in the way of maintaining those relationships that you value so much, but F3 has given us an opportunity to maintain them effortlessly,” said Travis. “As with any job with friends, it comes with its challenges working with people you care about at your job; but, working with friends makes the tough days a bit easier and makes the great days even better.”

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Last year, Julian reached out to Patrick Rogers ’15 in search of some reinforcements. The company was growing so fast that they needed more help.

“It came at the perfect time because I needed a lifestyle change from my previous job,” said Patrick. “After my interview, it was evident that everyone had the same goal: growing the company as efficiently and effectively as possible. Seeing this and having Julian here made the decision an easy one. The day-to-day operations as well as my co-workers make this feel more like a passion, rather than just a job.”

Patrick is the Headache Rack Manager for F3. His job entails scheduling, customer service, and basically anything to do with Magnum Headache Racks, one of F3’s signature products.

Patrick said his experience at Thomas College was life changing.

“Attending Thomas was the first time that I was really by myself. Thomas prepared me for adult life by teaching me how to balance a schedule and set priorities,” he said. “The skills and information learned in classes transferred over into my work. For example, I had no idea how to use Excel before Thomas, and now I use it every single day.”

Patrick also enjoys working with his friends: “It’s great to work with people that you know. You have already established trust in one another. This is important so that you can focus on the task at hand. It also makes your lunches a lot more fun.” 

Patrick went to college with the plan of eventually running a business – and at this point, between his education and his career path so far, he feels on track for that goal.

“Given my position here, I hope to have that opportunity, along with my fellow Thomas alumni, to run and maintain F3 as a successful company in the future,” he said.

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Ryan Veilleux ’15, Accounting Assistant at F3, is putting his accounting degree from Thomas to good use. His job entails helping with the day-to-day accounting operations, such as invoicing, deposits, reconciliations, and various other tasks.

As the newest employee of the four Thomas alumni at F3, Ryan said having his friends here made the transition to a new job much easier.

“I am excited to continue to work with a good group of people and friends and look forward to seeing where we and this company can go in the future,” said Ryan.

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Overall, the four Thomas alumni, Julian, Travis, Patrick, and Ryan, are proud to be working for F3 Manufacturing, the third fastest growing company in Maine. The company is growing at exceptional rates (roughly 70%).

“We pride ourselves in quality and being able to build relationships with our customers. We aren’t like the huge corporations that take weeks to get back to customers because we have to run the question up the ladder,” said Julian. “We make decisions quickly and value our relationships with our customers. Thomas College has these same qualities: making sure the students have a great education, while maintaining a great relationship.”