What Kyle’s Journey Taught Us About Leadership

Every company has moments that shape who they are. At MCS, those moments often come from the people who walk through our doors — and sometimes from the ones who leave, learn a few things, and find their way back.

A couple of years ago, Kyle Frankenberry was part of our welding team at MCS. He was young, talented, and still figuring things out. And truthfully, so were we in how we were growing as a company. His time here didn’t end the way anyone hoped. It wasn’t dramatic, but it also wasn’t a clean, “shake hands and move on” kind of moment. It was one of those situations where the fit just wasn’t right, and we parted ways on uneven ground.

Kyle went on to explore fabrication work on his own. In that time, he learned a lot about responsibility and about how much goes into the kind of work we do here at MCS. He's been upfront about how those lessons changed his perspective.

Then one day, about a year later, Kyle stopped by MCS and asked if there was any possibility of coming back.

And in that moment, we had a choice, the same choice many leaders face at some point:

Do you give him a second chance? Or do we hold onto the way things ended the first time?

We were honest with Kyle. If he returned, the expectations would be higher, and accountability would be non-negotiable. But we were also honest about something else: we had always seen potential in him. We believed he could still grow into someone who would add real value to this team.

And Kyle didn’t just agree... he lived it.

Since the day he came back, he has shown consistency and a willingness to step up. He’s become someone the team relies on, someone who sets the tone, and someone who proves that people truly can come back stronger. Today, he serves as a welding lead because he earned it through action, not words.

But this isn’t just a story about Kyle. It’s a story about leadership and about second chances.

Here’s the truth a lot of people don’t talk about: Not everyone figures it out the first time. Sometimes people need to leave, learn, and return with clear eyes. Sometimes the lessons that shape someone most happen outside your building. And sometimes the person who comes back is exactly who you hoped they would become the first time.

That’s why second chances matter.

They give people room to grow and give companies a chance to build a culture that sees more in people than their past mistakes.

Kyle’s journey didn’t follow a straight line. Most good stories don’t. But it led him back here — and it led him to become the kind of employee, teammate, and leader who makes MCS better.

And we’re proud of that.

We’re proud of him.

And we’re proud to be a place where a second chance isn’t a risk... it’s an opportunity.