I am a project manager for a medium capacity prototype / low volume production stamping plant. I got in to the trade while still in high school through our co/op program. During my senior year in high school I worked 70 hours a week as an apprentice die maker. Two years later I got a job at a prototype stamping plant and my passion for sheet metal stamping really took off. I loved the pressure and being able to think and design on the fly combining the strict precision habits that I had learned building progressive stamping dies with the speed and shortcuts necessary to be profitable in prototype. I have spent 12 years working 60-70+ hours a week in this trade with the attitude and direction that this is my career. Many people have 20-30 years in the trade and did not accept it as there career until they had 15-20 years in already. They could have been making twice the pay in half the time just by committing themselves to the job as a career instead of a place to punch a clock.

I have always liked dealing with people and the rush of making things happen and getting things done. My father has been in sales his entire life and has taught and sold the Dale Carnegie Course for the last 30 years. I always thought that the sales end of the business is where I would end up in the long run. I started working with my current employer as an outside sales person, but after 3 months of being on the road, we had more work than we could handle and I am now managing a large portion of it. I also still get to work on the floor designing and building tools. I still do sales and get to deal with the customers, but I don't get out on the road too much. For me, it is the best of both worlds. I am constantly going back to my roots as a toolmaker on the floor and I also get to deal with people and help bring in more work for the company. The hours are long and the pay is o.k. but I truly love my job and I have a strong passion for manufacturing.