I'm sorry to hear that man........

Im a tool and die maker and its hard as hell to find a good job here.....

 

I've done fairly well in VA, despite following a job here only to have it dissolve 2 years later. Unfortunately, I'm no where DC. I'm on the other side of the state, however it's still doing 10x better than the areas of Ohio/Michigan I was around.

The Discovery show "Moonshiners" is shot about an hour away, at most. I've gotten in good with a few folks from the country that can get me the good stuff. Come Christmas day, I'm heading down there and will probably get my whistle wetted.

 

NICE!

I might have to get in touch with you for some peach...

 

X2 on what John said. Skilled trades like machinists are demand. Tough thing is can you relocate if necessary?

Damn sorry to hear that Kelly... your phone is ringing

 

Often when there are only a few good Machinist or Tool makers they end up getting run into the ground from the demand on getting things done. Its to bad. Ive seen it happen a couple few times.

Working hard is one thing. Working hard and not having a life besides work will drive many people out the door.
Then they go to another shop and the same thing happens. Then they get into another line of work and we loose a couple more good people.

 

There are a couple places near me that are desperate for qualified machinists. Good people are getting hard to find.

 

Found this in my searching:

http://jobview.monster.com/Machinist-Programmer-Job-Roanoke-VA-US-104942800.aspx

 

Gonna try to stay around here if I can. Thanks guys.

Sucks to have to deal with this crap around the holidays, but I'll find my way.

 

Is anybody from the shop trying to keep it open at all? There were some real talented people there, and I'd hate to see them all get out of the field.

 

are there any railroad yards near you? im not really sure how many we have in VA
you should be able to get a job in any mechanical craft there.

 

I think there was a little talk about it, but don't think it will happen. Unfortunately, the person responsible for 99% of the products made is the one who is ready for Speedtech to close. We all helped with making them better but everything from the plate design to the billet intake manifolds was from him.
We could probably keep making the same parts and keep plumbing manifolds without him. I don't think the powers in control want to fool with it anymore though.

I think there is one rail yard around here. The railroad isn't big around here at all. Never thought about that.

 

FWIW,

I believe Norfolk Southern is still based in VA. If it weren't for the rail yards, my city wouldn't have came to be. We still have a rail shop in the heart of our down town, but the yard is small compared to others I've seen. There are Norfolk finger prints all over around VA. There are probibly 4-5 "big" buildings built by Norfolk (in their hay-day) here in Roanoke that still carry the Norfolk name but are no longer utilized by the same company/industry. Head east to the coast and the presence carries.

http://www.nscorp.com/nscportal/nscorp/Community/NS History/

 

Damn that sucks, so I guess Shannon has lost interest? You think he'll continue racing, or is he giving it up all together? It's a real shame either way. Speedtech was my job shadow project my senior year at Bama.. it was a lot different and smaller then than it is now though..

 

\
Shannon has nothing to do with Speedtech. He sold his share of the company a year or two ago. He is one of the crew chief for one of KH race teams.

 

same as my town. the yard I work in is one of the largest on the CSX system. I have heard NS doesnt treat their employees very well.
Kelly you could get a job as a machinist, electrician, or carman. All pay about the same and none of it is hard work

 

Hey Kelly, I may have found a promising lead for you in Vance. I have a buddy that runs an engineering firm there. I'm PMing you my contact info, hit me up.