The second episode in the series focuses on welding, highlighting the variety of careers available from the viewpoints of artistic welder Mike Patterson, an alumnus of Williamsport Area Community College (a Penn College forerunner), adjunct faculty member and entrepreneur; and Jennifer Brinkley-Cruz, a 2005 Penn College alumna and manufacturing specialist for Toyota. The episode chronicles Patterson crafting a life-sized Great Blue Heron weather vane for a Pennsylvania Guild of Craftsmen show and follows Brinkley-Cruz on the floor at the Toyota Motor Engineering and Manufacturing plant in Georgetown, K.Y., where she oversees 40 robotic welding cells. In addition, the episode illustrates the basics of welding with David Cotner, instructor of welding, and Martin Denault, a welding & fabrication engineering technology major, and features interviews with industry representatives at the Fabtech International and American Welding Society Welding Show in Chicago.

Featured Interviews

• Jennifer Brinkley-Cruz
  Manufacturing Specialist
  Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America
• David Cotner
  Instructor, Welding
  Pennsylvania College of Technology
• Lee Kvidahl
  Sector Manager, Welding Engineering
  Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding-Gulf Coast
• Ernest Levert
  Senior Staff Manufacturing Engineer
  Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control
• Mike Patterson
  Artistic Welder
• Nancy Porter
  Welding Engineer & Project Manager
  Edison Welding Institute
• Anthony Swoope
  Administrator, Office of Apprenticeship, Employment & Training Administration
  U.S. Department of Labor
• Gerald Uttrachi
  2007 President, American Welding Society
  President, WA Technology
• Jeff Weber
  Associate Executive Director
  American Welding Society

Where are they now?

Jennifer Brinkley-Cruz

Jennifer still loves her career as a manufacturing specialist at Toyota Motor Engineering and Manufacturing North America in Georgetown, Ky. Since production completed on her episode, Jennifer has traveled to both Japan and Canada for Toyota. She has worked on suspension projects for several Toyota models, including Camry, Rav4, Avalon and Venza. She is currently installing a new fuel tank line at the Kentucky plant. On a personal note, Jennifer is the proud mother of two beautiful girls: 4-year-old Adrianna and 2-year-old Mia.

Mike Patterson

Mike recently completed his 17th successful show season with the Pennsylvania Guild of Craftsmen. He continues to teach welding part time at his alma mater, Pennsylvania College of Technology. His next major art project involves a creation for the Riverwalk in Williamsport, Pa. He is fabricating a 35-foot-wide stainless steel sculpture of fish common to the Susquehanna River to be placed near the popular walkway that overlooks the river. Installation is scheduled for the first week of May 2011 (article). Mike admits he's enjoyed the "fame" from his appearance on degrees that work. He says his day is "slightly off" if at least one person doesn't mention that they've seen him on TV!

 

 

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Credits

• Producer/ Director/ Editor/ Camera
  • Chris Leigh
• Producer/ Writer/ Editor/ Camera/ Narration
  • Tom Speicher
• Graphics
  • Kevin Jones
• Music
  • 615 Music Library
• Public Relations
  • Wendy Wilson
• Web
  • Steve Franco
• Executive Producers
  • Elaine Lambert
  • Tom Currá

• Images/video courtesy
  • Chicago Convention & Tourism Bureau
  • Hobart Institute of Welding Technology
  • Horticulture
  • Joseph Yoder
  • Lorain County Community College
  • Manufacturing Technology, Inc.
  • Mike Patterson
  • Miller Electric Mfg. Co.
  • Pennsylvania College of Technology
  • Pennsylvania Guild of Craftsmen
  • Rob Cardillo Photography
  • The NewsMarket
  • Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky Video Services

• Special Thanks
  • Jennifer Brinkley-Cruz, Manufacturing Specialist - Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America
  • David Cotner, Instructor, Welding - Pennsylvania College of Technology
  • Martin Denault, Student, Welding & Fabrication Engineering Technology - Pennsylvania College of Technology
  • Lee Kvidahl, Sector Manager, Welding Engineering - Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding-Gulf Coast
  • Ernest Levert, Senior Staff Manufacturing Engineer - Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control
  • Katie Levesque, Business Development - Edison Welding Institute
  • Mike Patterson, Artistic Welder
  • Nancy Porter, Welding Engineer & Project Manager - Edison Welding Institute
  • Anthony Swoope, Administrator: Office of Apprenticeship, Employment & Training Administration - U.S. Department of Labor
  • Gerald Uttrachi, 2007 President - American Welding Society, President - WA Technology
  • Jeff Weber, Associate Executive Director - American Welding Society
  • American Welding Society
  • Pennsylvania Guild of Craftsmen
  • Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky, Inc.
  • Tim Baltz
  • Sherrie Boyer
  • Kerry Holt
  • Larry Kauffman
  • Nick Mohler
  • Donald Praster
  • Adrienne Zalkind