Engineers working in construction might not expect job training to take place at a baseball stadium, much less Guaranteed Rate Field—home of the Chicago White Sox. But, that’s where Graycor Industrial’s Engineer Mentor Committee (EMC) taught 14 of its company engineers how to ‘think outside the box’—one of the topics provided at this year’s Engineer Mentor Program event.

On Aug. 2, the EMC held its day-long ‘Critical Thinking’ training session which featured topics covering communication, critical thinking and planning. Brooks Boyer, vice president and chief marketing officer for the Chicago White Sox, was keynote speaker. The engineers also participated in a question-and-answer session presented by Sam Potter, president of Graycor Industrial, before enjoying an afternoon baseball game between the White Sox and the Toronto Blue Jays.

“In addition to the training and speakers the event provides, it’s also designed to give our engineers a chance to interact and get to know one another better,” says Tom Baskind, chief estimator for Graycor Industrial and EMC member. “The events happen three to four times a year and provide training necessary to improve select skillsets and build camaraderie,” he adds.

Through its mentoring training program, Graycor Industrial’s EMC educates, guides and trains new engineers hired by the company.