Faces of Manufacturing: A Lifelong Passion, a Good Day's Work

If you want to see a cross-section of our country, look no further than these proud manufacturing workers.

Responding to an open call for worker profiles for Manufacturing Day, our enthusiastic participants mentioned over and over again about being challenged every day, solving problems, looking forward to going to work--and the fulfillment they get from making things, supporting their families and seeing the fruits of their labors.

They are a diverse and well-educated bunch, with a truckload of technical, bachelor’s and master’s degrees to their credit.

Some are in the front office, others on the shop floor. Some stumbled into manufacturing as a career, some were weaned on it, others called to it. But now matter how they found it, they get it: the satisfaction in hard work, the smarts required, the state-of-the-art technology, the camraderie and sense of a job well done.

Here are their stories.