Meet Pa Syharaj

Graduation and a New Career

A restless teen, Pa spent time successfully on the soccer field, helping his team win a state championship. But he did not like Vermont. Returning to California alone, he stayed with friends and graduated high school in Santa Rosa. Still unfulfilled, he thought working as a chef was a good option, so he returned to Vermont, signed on as a dishwasher at an Italian restaurant in Burlington, and learned the basics of food preparation. Pa had found his first career as a chef – a field he pursued for the next 20 years.

One road not taken: Pa was admitted to the prestigious Culinary Institute of America but did not attend. “The restaurant’s chef saw my potential, and she told me that I could keep learning while making money. But I regret not going, because certificates like that matter,” he said in hindsight.

Working 12-hour days, six days a week was tough. “There was no time for time off,” he said. In his mid-20s, Pa changed direction. His father helped Pa win a job as a “deburrer” in the quality-control process of a Boeing parts supplier. (Deburring is the process of removing small, unwanted pieces of material, called burrs, from the edges or surfaces of a workpiece to ensure safety, precision, and quality.)

“For certain tools or edges, if the difference [in width] is more than a hair wide, that’s a no-no. It’s very critical work,” Pa said. (It’s also experience that Pa uses now for Octane when he works with the company’s tools, parts and yard equipment.) 

In the early 2000s, his father opened a Thai restaurant in Vermont. The small restaurant thrived. As investor and sous chef, Pa grew his cooking skills, made good money, and unfortunately, experimented with drugs. Discovered by his father, he transferred his share of the restaurant to his parents, left home and moved again – this time to Tennessee, where friends helped him find jobs. 

Over the course of a decade, Pa worked for multiple restaurants in Tennessee and Michigan. “Knoxville was a really clean city, and the people were great,” he said. While working at a sushi restaurant, his outgoing personality during food prep attracted repeat customers, two of whom worked for the band Metallica. 

Celebrities Demand Pa’s Food!

Next came an offer he couldn’t refuse: Would he cook for the band during their stops in the South? With permission from his restaurant boss to take time for these “gigs,” he became an occasional “roadie.” 

Word of mouth spread about Pa’s talent. Over two years, he became a concert-night chef for stars like Wynonna Judd, Kenny Chesney, heavy metal bands Lamb of God, the Allman Brothers Band, Motorhead, the Black Crowes, and Linkin Park, and for Kid Rock and Widespread Panic. He prepared high-quality meals – made to order for the bands – for bands and crews of 25 to 40 people. His workspaces were the guest kitchens of stadiums and theaters.

Pa worked performances in Nashville and North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Louisiana – all within a day’s drive of Knoxville. Road gigs were fun, he said, and the pay was very good, but not steady. One benefit was memory-making: he signed an NDA3 for each band, but most performers allowed selfies with Pa, so he has a collection of photos and souvenirs from the superstars.

Temptation to indulge with the bands was strong, though, and Pa sometimes binged on drugs and alcohol, leading, by his admission, to unhappiness, depression and declining health. A friend’s 2017 suicide was a wake-up call to Pa to change his ways, and his career, for good. 

“If not for Octane, I’d probably be back in a lifestyle that was not healthy for me.”

A New Job, A Better Life

Thanks to another friend, Pa was referred to Octane Environmental. Because Octane requires drug testing, Pa knew that he could no longer use drugs or alcohol. He took the necessary steps to get clean and sober, and his new life working for Octane began nine years ago, in September of 2017.

Joining Octane as a general laborer, Pa shadowed more experienced crew members. His tasks now include cleaning and spraying liner on ponds and tanks, performing quality control so there are no leaks or structural issues, spray-washing tanks and lagoons, and performing physically demanding tank cleanouts and containment system builds. 

COO Eric Garcia said, “Pa is a real stickler for quality and technique. He will inspect liners and make sure our newer team members are doing the job right, showing them how to do it.” Just as he was mentored, Pa has taken new employees under his wing, teaching them how to deliver top quality to clients.

When he’s not dispatched to work in states from Idaho to Pennsylvania, Pa assists Octane’s yard crew, where he helps to repair, deburr, clean, paint and refurbish equipment. 

With his talents at cooking and preparing food, why has Octane become Pa’s longest employer?

Octane is Family

“Octane is not just a company I work for. Octane is home and family,” he said. “My colleagues are brothers and sisters to me. You can call me an Asian hillbilly, because I love it here,” Pa said. 

“If not for Octane, I’d probably be back in a lifestyle that was not healthy for me. Octane’s strict rules on no drugs and no smoking have kept me healthy, and I’m happy here,” Pa said. He said the company also gives him the opportunity to expand his skill sets.

But Pa has not left his chef-to-the-stars skills behind! He prepares food for Octane’s cookouts and picnics, always drawing a large crowd.

We asked Pa for his advice for new employees at Octane. His answers contain the wisdom born of his vast experience:

· Listen to the boss.

· Never say “No.” Do what you are asked, unless you physically cannot.

· There is no other company that will treat you as well as Octane. Octane treats its employees fairly and professionally, and it will give you the opportunity to progress. 

· Octane expects a lot of their employees, but the company also believes in second chances.

As for potential clients, Pa recommends that they select Octane for their needs because the team members are committed, like he is. Many have been with Octane for a long time. He said clients will be pleased with our teams’ thoroughness, care and professionalism.

From Laos to learning English to rubbing shoulders with famous performers, to Octane: Pa’s well-travelled life is one of learning, friendships and the blessings of second chances.

1Pa’s full name, Keophouvong Syharaj, is pronounced “KAY phoo vong Sigh HAR uh.”

2 ESL = English as a Second Language

3 NDA = Non-Disclosure Agreement