In the workshop here at Futures, CJ Courteau is not afraid to get dirty. He jumps at any opportunity to work with his hands, especially if it means working with grease or oil. CJ began to work with the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation (O.V.R.) in August of 2022 to explore his interests and abilities to gain community integrated employment. He completed work assessments at Dallas-Morris Drilling as well as at other local businesses doing various work duties such as cleaning the building and washing dishes, as well as a variety of odd jobs available. CJ decided afterwards that he would not be satisfied with any other job; he wanted to work exclusively at Dallas-Morris. His family has an oil-drilling background and he wanted to be a part of the field in some capacity.

CJ finished his assessments through O.V.R. but remained persistent, inquiring every few weeks to Dallas-Morris about any open positions, making sure to note his willingness to complete any task necessary. He had tried other outside employment before and had finally found something he enjoyed. CJ’s persistence paid off and in September of 2023, Dallas-Morris offered him a position of Building Maintenance/Custodian. With the assistance of Futures’ Office of Employment Services Specialists Tammy Bennett, Deb Hatch and Employment Services Director Mark Raecher, CJ works two mornings a week, cleaning the offices, shop, and trucks, as well as completing landscaping tasks. Martha Morris states “He comes to work with a smile on his face and a positive attitude. He is ready to complete the tasks that he is given and takes pride in his work. We are fortunate to have CJ on our team.” Keep up the good work, CJ!

Dallas-Morris Drilling Inc. is a fourth-generation, family owned and operated oil and drilling company. With operations dating back to the early 1920’s, the Morris Family has provided a wide variety of services to the oil and gas industry for over one hundred years. Dallas-Morris specializes in drilling shallow and intermediate depth oil and gas wells, with services including all post drilling activities. Dallas-Morris prides itself with providing its customers with the very best services which exceed industry standards for safety, efficiency and accountability. Thank you, Dallas-Morris, for working with Futures and CJ! Dallas-Morris Drilling Inc. is located at 103 South Kendall Avenue and can be reached at (814) 362-6493.

The Employment Specialists at Futures assist participants in finding a job that complements their skills and abilities. They then work with the participant and community employers to enable them to learn their employment responsibilities, ensure successful outcomes, and help retain employment if later faced with new challenges. They provide participants with a variety of options to learn job skills and determine their employment interests through career assessments, job shadowing, pre-employment skills and direct on-the-job training. If you would like more information about Futures’ Employment Services program, please contact Tammy Bennett or Deb Hatch at (814) 368-4101.