I was humbled to have an opportunity to speak to the faculty of the Greenville Technical College Center for Manufacturing Innovation on the occasion of the 2021-2022 academic kick-off. Approximately 50 faculty members were in attendance to discuss plans for integrating the program under the new dean…
Is it time to celebrate Victory over Covid Day (VC Day)? The country (as well as the rest of the world) is coming out of a pandemic that has impacted all of us in profound ways. Some have lost loved ones, some have suffered from anxiety and…
In the spring and summer of 1945, the United States celebrated two very important milestones. VE Day (Victory in Europe) and VJ Day (Victory over Japan) were two of the most important dates of the 20th century. I remember my mother describing the euphoria as people were…
In August, Ginger and I will celebrate 40 years of marriage. We began dating while attending Louisiana Tech University. What started as an acquaintance through a mutual friend group developed into a friendship and culminated in a lifelong committed relationship. In 1981 we were married, sealing our…
So, you are finally out on your own. Perhaps you or someone you love just finished high school, trade school, or a college degree. Now it’s time to land that first job! It’s an exciting time filled with anticipation and trepidation. After all, if you just finished…
I can still remember the summer of 1978. I was just finishing high school and thought I was on the top of the world. I was planning my future career and getting ready for my enrollment at Louisiana Tech University. It was a time of eager anticipation…
The natural aging process has taught me a lot. As I get older, I find that my memory isn’t as sharp, my physical strength is decreasing, and simple wounds take longer to heal. These are the struggles that everyone faces as an artifact of making annual trips…
To be successful—in fact, to even survive—a business must sell. When starting a business, the founder needs to go through the process of considering why anyone would buy what the business is selling. All of us are familiar with the selling process, whether or not we work…
As a part of the dream when I founded KTM Solutions, I wanted to work with aspiring engineers. There is something about the enthusiasm of a student that brings excitement into the office. Students begin with dreams, ambitions, and ideas that seem to soften as we get…
In late 2004, I decided I wanted to try my hand at company ownership. Originally, I thought I would buy a manufacturing business and then add an engineering component. Through the help of a business broker, my wife and I visited several manufacturing companies that were for…