Chris Timon moves at high speed, but it is not just because he works on cars. Timon is blasting past milestones and collecting achievements at a dizzying pace. Seriously, this man is really moving. After being granted parole in December 2020, he participated in Parole Project’s intensive reintegration program. Upon completion he quickly accepted a position as a project manager at Gerry Lane Chevrolet Collision Center. It is a gig he had been lining up a year before his release, surely due to his skill and reputation as a hard working and talented technician.
Timon began his love affair with automobiles when he attended Northwest Louisiana Technical College in Shreveport, Louisiana around 1990. After a school he was thrust out into the workforce and found quick success. “By the time I was 19, I was working for a Cadillac dealership and making about $40,000 a year,” he said. “That was in 1992.”
Chris’s career was derailed by a life sentence at the age of 22. While incarcerated in Angola, he was determined to continue his commitment to hard work. Chris held several jobs while incarcerated, his longest employment lasting over eight years at the state police motor pool body shop. His work ethic and technical skills easily shined through. “I’ve been working on cars since I was about 17 years old,” said Timon. “It’s one of those trades that once you get into it, you just keep going. Here I am 30 years later doing the same thing.”
As a project manager Chris has many responsibilities. In his words, “It’s just really pushing the jobs through the shop, making sure we have the parts for the cars, quality control, customer service. I deal with a lot of different things. I’m responsible for all the technicians and the quality of work they do.”
In just four short months, Chris has made huge strides adjusting to life outside of prison. He credits Parole Project with removing obstacles that has allowed him to achieve what he has thus far. “They helped me set up a bank account, and it has enabled me to save up a lot of money,” he said. “Everything was set up for me. They don’t drop you out on the street; they give you an opportunity to reach up.”
Among the things that Timon has saved up for is his new car. “I saved up everything I made in that first month and and now I have reliable transportation,” he said. ”It is a great feeling.“
Chris, now 48, appreciates each day of his second chance and is content with the progress he has made thus far. Now living in his own apartment, he is considering his future. “I’ll stay in this apartment a little while, it is all I need at the moment.” His goal is to become a homeowner. “Eventually I’ll buy a house. You kind of have to take baby steps. You don’t want to get financially strapped in credit card debt and everything else you can think of.”
He may live in his new city forever, or he may not. But Timon says now that he has a second chance, he gets to choose. He is mindful that his life changes have put him on a track to success. “If you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always got,” he said. You get a fresh start, you get to start all over. You have got to turn to the next chapter of the book. ”
