I am an adventurer at heart. I am always seeking that next soul-feeding experience, which I normally find somewhere out in the untamed wild wonderlands of our planet. I am extremally competitive and can not back down from a challenge whether it comes in the form of hiking, climbing or camping. When it is time to relax I usually look for some good food, live music and a tasty IPA.As an Engineer, I've bushwhacked my own path as well. After graduating from the University of Minnesota Duluth I trekked out west and landed in Portland, Oregon. While looking for engineering positions, I took a production job at Nike Air MI. I wanted to immures myself what I still consider a world-class manufacturing environment. The 50 percent discount on apparel didn't hurt either and it made it hard to leave, but my engineering career was calling. My next step was as a field service engineer at Tokyo Electron, who is contracted through Intel. Once again I found myself exposed to an entirely new level of manufacturing precision, automation and overall excellence.The move back to the mid-west was a tough decision, but being close to family and friends was something that I can now truly appreciate. My current position is where I have found the most unique opportunities to grow my skill sets as an Industrial Engineer. It has been rewarding to hone skills and knowledge developed in the classroom. At Escape Climbing we make climbing holds, a dream product for me as an outdoor nut. Escape is a small company, only 20 or so employees and four person engineering team. With our small team I get to have my hands on many of the projects and process decisions that go into growing the business focusing on lean engineering. I handle all safety and compliance matters including OSHA, state and county regulations, ergonomics, training. For the past year I've also taken over as Operations Manager and handle all day-to-day activities at the shop including production schedule, personnel, defects, lead times, new product integration and root cause analysis.While this journey wasn't the most textbook, I believe it has provided me with a unique perspective. I have worked in almost all areas of the production process. From the shop floor up through management. I understand the importance and impact of engineering decisions and projects from both sides. Continuous improvement is what I am always looking for, but I understand that there is a human element in most manufacturing processes. I want to bridge that gap and create a manufacturing environment that not only is efficient, but sustainable.