Where Are They Now?

In 1999, when Hobey Hoffman was a senior in high school, Hoffman’s friends introduced him to a girl named Kasey who worked at Dairy Queen in town. They hit it off, and started dating. Soon after, they got married.

Hoffman left school his senior year to start a family and begin working full time. He and Kasey moved to Brownwood and Hoffman found a job at Kohler, a ceramics company that makes sinks, toilets and other home fixtures.

Hoffman stayed there working on the assembly line for a year before he saw an ad in the paper for a job with the City of Brownwood Utilities Department. The pay was good and Hoffman would get to be out and about in town repairing leaks in the city’s water main and installing service taps. He ended up staying for four years.

Hoffman’s next job was for Coleman Distributing, a Coors delivery company based in Fredericksburg. Hoffman’s job was to pick up and deliver the beer all over the Cross Plains Region. He enjoyed the travel — and every once in a while he would get free beer. “That wasn’t too bad,” he said.

Unfortunately, after three years as a Coors distributor, the owner of Coleman Distributing sold the company and Hoffman was laid off. “After I left there, I came back to work for the city,” he said. “This time I’m in the street department, and I’ve been there ever since.”

Hoffman’s job now is to build and maintain roads all over Brownwood. His crew comes in at around 6:30 in the morning and plans out the day. They have different projects depending on the time of year, and also talk to city officials about what needs to be done. Right now Hoffman and the crew are working on sealing the cracks in the roads, so they don’t widen into dangerous potholes.

Hoffman enjoys his work. “It’s consistent, I get to work outside and I enjoy working with the guys,” he said. Hoffman hopes to stay working for the city until he retires.

When Hoffman gets off work, he goes straight to another kind of job: helping his wife with her business. Kasey Hoffman has owned MX Matrix Cheer and Dance for around 10 years, and Hoffman lends a hand when he can.

Hoffman also enjoys spending time with his three children. Kobey, 21, is graduating Tarleton next year with a degree in physical therapy. Holdyn, 20, is currently at Ranger College studying to be a coach, and Remi, 18, just started at Ranger last semester.

“My kids are my inspiration,” he said. “I basically just everyday get up and make sure I do my best for them.”

Having three kids before he was 19 was a challenge for Hoffman. “We definitely had help from my parents and wife’s family,” he said. “We couldn’t have done it without that.”

Hoffman’s mother and step-father, Robbi and Roger Armstrong, live in DeLeon, and his father and step-mother Randy and Shelley Hoffman live in Stephenville.

Growing up in Dublin was a good experience for Hoffman. “I loved just hanging out with all my friends, because it was really easy to get a hold of your buddies back then,” he said.

His advice to Dublin students is to make the most of those years. “Enjoy it while you’ve got it,” he said. “It goes by fast.”

Editor’s Note: This column chronicles what Dublin graduates have done since high school. If you have any suggestions for other graduates, email publisher@dublincitizen.com.