I’m the 4th Shift Supervisor/Machinist.

Working with the machining group, I grind and hone enclosures to match flywheel bearing sizes. Not many people realize the crazy tolerances we hold every single day in the BK room (the grind room in building 6F on the Mohnton campus).

I worked in a little shop in Reading. We had three or four machinists at any time. We had no air conditioning, heat that worked when it wanted, and too much work for all of us. I ran horizontal mills and a few lathes making sprockets and product supports. We mainly made conveyor belts for Disney and food companies, but occasionally took odd jobs. It was so dirty that every day I left looking like I just came out of a coal mine.

February 2016

Seakeeper is a completely different place than it was not even 5 years ago. I’ve never worked somewhere where big changes happen almost every year. The thing that always blows my mind is how assembly went from being half the size it is now, to being an actual assembly line. It’s completely unrecognizable from a few years back.

I’m currently a member of Seakeeper’s Safety Committee. Safety is very important in machining because injuries do not happen very often, but when they do, they are usually debilitating. Making sure the machines being run are safe to use is paramount to the success of Seakeeper.

The most challenging, by far, was the programming and running of the Seakeeper 1. Seakeepers just keep getting smaller and smaller and making something like that comes with its own set of challenges. The clearances between the tools we use, and the parts, are honestly pretty scary to run because so much could go wrong.

I think my biggest accomplishment is that I’m still here at Seakeeper. There were times I felt like giving up and moving on, but I’m really glad I stuck it out. I never thought I would be able to complete some of the jobs I do successfully day in and day out.

Easily the working conditions are my favorite part. I’ve worked in some nasty places and environments where the happiness and health of the people working was just an afterthought. Seakeeper seems to genuinely care about if everyone is happy or not. I think that is rare these days and I appreciate it every chance I get.

You have to perform on a high mental level every day. One slip-up can completely scrap a part, or worse, damage and destroy a million-dollar machine or hurt yourself. You cannot let your guard down or the worst can happen.

Keep your head down and do the best job you can always. Complain about something only when you can’t fix the problem yourself. If you get asked to do something trivial or something you consider below your station, still do the best job you can. If they ask you to sweep, make it the best sweep job Seakeeper has ever seen. People notice the small things, trust me.

On my first day at Seakeeper, I was introduced to the guy that was going to train me, and I was really worried that I’d made a huge mistake. He had a mountain man beard and wild hair but looks can be deceiving. He’s probably one of the funniest and most insane guys I’ve ever worked with, but he’s also one of the smartest. Yeah, I’m talking about Joe Levan. We are glad to have you back.

Bruce Lee has a saying that I try to live by, and it is this: “Be like water”. You put water into a cup, it becomes the cup. Water can flow or crash. Be water, my friend.

I’ve been a musician for 15 years, and I write and play all sorts of instruments. It was my dream to be on a big stage performing for thousands of people, but I had to get realistic as I got older. Not everyone can make it in that business.