Doers of Good Works

Be doers and act on what you hear

(James 1:22)

We are raising an amazing son. We take great pride in exercising our parental bragging rights. Here’s the backstory:  Yesterday was the first mentoring session of #CodeRoadClub, so my husband and son attended with me in support. While the program targets young women, as a mom, I saw it as great opportunity for Q to gain exposure to careers in technology. To learn more about women in Memphis, Nairobi, Nashville, and Toronto meeting weekly in a live classroom for educational, cultural, and social exchanges, visit http://www.memphisworks.com/coderoadclub, 

or follow us as I live tweet on Saturdays from @LTR_Latrobe_Mfg to @CodeRoadClub.

The best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry…life happened and we began the day with a few minor technical difficulties that were quickly overcome by a remarkable support team from all four locations. I privately joke that I live with #ProblemSolver #1 and #2, so in their true nature, their immediate response was to jump in to fix the technology fails. While the girls from different parts of the world took turns introducing themselves and learning valuable information about the importance of networking and demonstrating abilities, my son was purposely listening and looking for opportunities for improvement. When the program ended, he quietly sent me a text that he had “a few ideas to help this work a little better.” Then he proceeded to network by starting a conversation with one of the coders/presenters who recommended building solutions that solve problems.

I woke up this morning to find a professional email from my fifteen year old son that laid out his suggestions for improving the technical production of future sessions. With no edits, I forwarded his email to Mary Hayes, CEO of Engage Learning Systems, and the braintrust behind #CodeRoadClub. She responded with a prompt thank you note to Q, with an offer for him to attend next week’s session as a part of the tech support team, lol! Of course, he accepted!!!

When I wrote about #CSforall in last week’s blog post, I knew that I would begin mentoring with the #CodeRoadClub as my contribution for exposing local young women to this aspect of STEM education. What I did not anticipate was how this act might impact or benefit my own son.  Nor did I expect his level of engagement or participation or excitement about a Saturday morning project.  As a parent, I am most proud that instead of criticizing imperfections in a process, he took professional actions to offer solutions to make something good better. He’s a doer. How are you incorporating technology into your educational, cultural, or service projects? Let us know by commenting or sending an email to latanyua.robinson@gmail.com. If you like this post and want to catch up on some of my previous discussions, please visit the full Purposed Work blog at http://ltr-latrobe-mfg.blogspot.com/.

BASIC Good Works

In the beginning was the Word…

(John 1:1)

January 30, 2016 for me will be one those days committed to memory: Where we you when you heard the announcement from the White House on a specific initiative to prepare the next generation of technology leaders? In his weekly address, the President announced plans for a $4 billion investment, stating: We have to make sure all our kids are equipped for the jobs of the future. (To view the full statement about Computer Science for All, #CSforAll, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sy-iY3-otk4).

The meaning and application of computer science has transformed since my first introduction in the 80s. When I signed up for my first computer class, I did not fully understand what that meant. Keep in mind; this was prior to the days of the majority of families in our community having a home computer. I do not remember touching a computer until I was in high school, so I thought the course I signed up for was to teach me the basic skills of using a computer. I had no idea that BASIC was a programming language that I was expected to learn to solve problems.

Through high school and college, I managed to push through languages foreign to me like BASIC, FORTRAN, COBOL, and TURBO C because they were required courses for my engineering major. I refer to them as foreign languages because although I mastered writing IF/THEN/ELSE statements (with and without syntax errors), the problems we were solving had no real life application in my real world experiences. After gaining work experience, I began to understand the relationship and dependence on foundational computer science programming:

Hierarchy of Programming Languages

In my current workforce readiness initiatives, I often get pushback from parents and elders for suggesting that kids enroll in manufacturing or industrial programs of study. For them, manufacturing has a connotation of being a laborer, without regard for the technology required for process or product improvement. What I have found is a lack of awareness of the computer science basics necessary throughout the value chain of machining or automation or robotics, etc.  Just as in the beginning was the Word, the beginning of value creation rests on equipping our next generation of technology leaders to solve problems using computer science. How will your community participate in #CSforall?  Let us know by commenting or sending an email to latanyua.robinson@gmail.com. If you like this post and want to catch up on some of my previous discussions, please visit the full Purposed Work blog at http://ltr-latrobe-mfg.blogspot.com/.

It Really is Good Works

That’s why we can be so sure that every detail

 in our lives of love for God is worked into something good

(Romans 8:28, MSG)

I have a love-hate relationship with technology. Actually, I have a love-hate relationship with technology gadgets. Devices that were meant to make my life easier have consumed my life to a point that I am missing out on life. Take for example that my GPS has become so critical to my travel that I no longer recognize milestones and monuments along the way of getting to my destination. Or the fact that my smart phone manages everything from the time that I get up daily to what I eat and drink to reminders of who I need to call to say Happy Birthday, except, without my telephone, I can’t, because I no longer have anyone’s number committed to memory.

I have reached a point where I am ready to disconnect from gadgets and some forms of social technology. I was inspired this morning as my husband and I were getting dressed. We were having a casual conversation when he heard his blackberry buzzing in the other room. He went to get it, but stopped talking mid-sentence, to respond to an email. In what felt like forever, I had flashbacks of interrupted meals, or our non-engaged teenager, or myriads of other personal irritants caused by my family’s addiction to gadgets. Then I went out for my morning walk and I had a meltdown: I refused to hit the START button to begin tracking my steps for the day.

I have become so obsessed with reaching 10k steps per day that I no longer enjoy exercise. So this morning, I walked just to walk. I noticed how much our neighborhood had transformed since the fall and how signs of spring were evident. Without the reminder of a clock, I decided to do something different, so I grabbed my hula hoop and jump rope and spent some time in the backyard exercising the way I used to enjoy it when I was a kid. Let's Move!!! #GimmeFive! And I had time to think about why today was so special.

Technology is good and really drives productivity improvements. As busy as we are, we cannot allow gadgets to cause us to miss out on the important details in our lives, purposed works, and relationships. I took some time to disconnect from gadgets and enjoyed the goodness of childhood exercise…and remembered, without the aid of my phone that today would have been my Big Daddy’s 111^th birthday. And to honor his memory, I am treating myself to ice cream and not scanning it into my smart phone app! Yes, all things, even detaching from my dependence on technology gadgets in order to really live life, work together for good. Do you have tips to share with others for disconnecting from technology? Feel free to comment, or, send me an email at latanyua.robinson@gmail.com. If you like this post and want to catch up on some of my previous discussions, please visit the full Purposed Work blog at http://ltr-latrobe-mfg.blogspot.com/.

Unseen Good Works

Blessed are those who have not seen

 and yet have believed

(John 20:29)

At last year’s Women in Manufacturing Summit, I learned about the “Dream It, Do It” initiative. This is a program launched by The Manufacturing Institute that “offers local manufacturers, schools, community-based organizations and other stakeholders the opportunity to partner with a respected national platform to promote manufacturing as a top tier career choice in the United States.” Recognizing that every region is different, the DI-DI program advances a national standardized brand that can be customized to fit the needs of the local workforce. As a follow up, I was pleased to see that in August 2013, my home state of Arkansas signed on as the 23^rd member as an avenue to address the growing skills shortage across our great state. To learn more about the national Dream It, Do It initiative, please visit http://www.themanufacturinginstitute.org/Image/Dream-It-Do-It/Dream-It-Do-It.aspx

The state of Connecticut has identified a need for more machinists, assemblers, and CNC tool operators. To gain the attention of future of engineers and innovators, and to leverage the state’s DI-DI program, October was deemed as “Manufacturing Month” to introduce middle school aged students to future careers in manufacturing. At featured events, students were given hands on opportunities to experience additive manufacturing, cutting tools, and 3-D printers. Grace Sawyer Jones, president of the local community college shared that one way to increase awareness is by exposing students to potential careers as early as possible. “It’s by having students who are looking to these fields long before they come to college. And more importantly,  the manufacturing businesses are here (in CT). Those are the parts that you bring together early in their lives, so they really have a realization of the possibilities.” To read more about the Connecticut manufacturing event, please click on http://wnpr.org/post/manufacturing-event-targets-future-workforce-connecticut-made-products?goback=%2Egde_4239561_member_5800678290263916544#%21

As an advocate for careers in manufacturing, I agree that we have to introduce the next generation of workers to the possibilities of sustainable jobs as early as possible. Many kids are not aware of the products that are machined or assembled locally. More importantly, as adults, business owners, and community leaders, we should begin to challenge these young innovators to consider the unseen good works, potential products that could be assembled and manufactured in the future from local resources. We should not limit our or their focus to the types of manufacturing that we see today, instead testing their abilities to develop solutions without the benefit of tangible proof from current technology. That’s what engineering and innovation and the next generation of job creation in manufacturing is all about: believing in what we have not seen and yet have believed to be possible. How are you engaging young people in your community to Dream It, Do It, to ignite their purposed work? Feel free to comment, or, send me an email at latanyua.robinson@gmail.com. If you like this post and want to catch up on some of my previous discussions, please visit the full Purposed Work blog at http://ltr-latrobe-mfg.blogspot.com/.

Finding Your Way to Good Works

Trust in the Lord with all your heart…and He shall direct your path

(Proverbs 3:5-6)

When I asked my potential client for a physical address for our meeting location, I received the following response: The use of GPS is not permitted when travelling to our sites. I knew then that I was in for an adventure. I got directions to an undisclosed location and a promise for a host to meet me at an intersection, where I would park my car and travel with a group to a series of drilling sites, located on rural routes that I could not get to again if my life depended on it. My adventure on this trip was exploring applications for green technology for primary and secondary containment on drilling platforms. Environmentally-friendly, cost-effective solutions for petroleum…my nerd-radar was on a 10!!!

Adventures in Arkansas: With today’s technology, I take “selfies” to chart my location in unknown territories…you know, just in case. But that option was not always available. My first job out of college required me to spend time in northwest Arkansas traveling in rural areas that supported the turkey production supply chain. So I rode in pickup trucks with virtual strangers to turkey farms, hatcheries, feed mills, etc. Years later, after I started Latrobe, I found myself in a similar situation, riding in a pickup truck with someone who appeared uncomfortable taking me to visit upstart drilling platforms supporting the Fayetteville shale play. So how did I find a way to break the ice? I initiated a conversation about Razorback sports, rice farming, and duck hunting. I remember talking with my host so much that we almost got stuck somewhere in Faulkner county during the 2011 Storm of the Century.  

Adventures in Asia: My most memorable adventure was my first visit to China. I was visiting a supplier that we were developing to provide raw materials for steel products. It was 2003 and in the early infrastructure development. Although I flew into Shanghai, the worksite was in Dongtai, an agriculture community in its infancy for industrial production. When I say infancy, I mean that along the two hour journey, many of the roads and basic necessities did not exist. When we got to the work site, I remember asking my host about the facilities and was directed toward a trough, hidden behind a makeshift aluminum wall. What to do with my new London Fog trench coat was the least of my concerns!!! 

Adventures in Assimilating into non-traditional work environments: Throughout my career, I have developed a list of survival tactics to make it easier on my hosts and me when travelling to rugged work sites:

·        Wear a jacket or a vest with pockets (there’s usually no place to keep a purse)
·        Keep a small container of hand sanitizer & baby wipes on you (use your imagination)
·        Know the outcome to last night’s game or local event (good conversation starter)
·        Develop tough skin for political/religious/social issues (awkward conversation ender)
·        Glamorize/personalize where appropriate (i.e., my chartreuse safety hat)
·        Be yourself (you do not have to act like a man to work in a man’s environment)
 

As a little girl, I was always told to pay attention when I went anywhere, so that if I got lost, I could always find my way home. As an adult, I have been blessed to go on adventures where that was not always an option in the natural. By faith, I know that I have a supernatural power directing my path to find my way home safely. Now, if I could just find my way to owning a rock quarry and a dump truck. After this week’s adventure, my entrepreneurial radar saw a potentially new opportunity for good works.

Grace To Do Good Works

I have not posted a blog entry in over a year. In my wildest dreams I never imagined the effort involved in building a brand and a business image in a new community. Regardless of how good your intentions are or how much you think you can help, the old adage holds true: People do not care how much you know until they know how much you care. So I spent most of 2012 becoming a part of the community.

God’s grace will make a way for you. It’s not something you do that you can be proud of. This experience taught me that we are God’s handiwork recreated to do those good works which He predestined (planned beforehand) for us, taking paths which He prepared ahead of time, that we should walk in them, living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us to live (Ephesians 2:8-10). I was appointed to a couple of local boards that aligned with my mission of economic diversity through manufacturing. One in particular is Junior Achievement, which empowers young people to own their own economic success. To learn, visit the national website, found at http://www.ja.org/.

When I was young, I defined work as being paid to do a task. As far back as I can remember, I have worked by shelling peas, doing odd jobs for older people in the neighborhood, babysitting, etc. At sixteen, I got my first tax paying job, and because I like having my own money, I have worked ever since.

Today, my definition of work is different. I have been blessed enough so that money is no longer my sole motivation for work. A few months ago, I had to perform a self-examination to determine if I was more interested in building Latrobe as a wealth creator for my family or a job creator for my community.

The answer resided in the mission and vision statements written almost four years ago:  Our mission is to create jobs in industrial manufacturing in the local communities in which we operate. Our mission is fulfilled when we are recognized as a contributor to the positive economic growth by creating jobs that sustain the middle class.

Our vision is based on the principal: to whom much is given, much is required. As a manufacturing firm, we are strong advocates of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) programs. We are committed to supporting these programs in our local communities to demonstrate to the youth a variety of career options in manufacturing and engineering. Our vision is fulfilled when we are recognized as community servants who positively influence and financially support the enrollment of local students into college and vocational level engineering and technology programs.

So back to my Junior Achievement story: One of JA’s signature programs is Finance Park, where students participate in a virtual simulation of financial planning and career explanation. Students are assigned a job and a family scenario and have to make budget decisions about housing, food, clothing, insurance, philanthropy, etc. To learn more, visit http://www.ja.org/programs/programs_mid_park.shtml.

Locally, as many of the students come from low-to-moderate income communities, it’s their initial exposure to professional job titles and careers. I live in a community where most of the resources are committed to petrochemical processing, so the thought of careers in manufacturing is foreign. It’s great to think that all of your local talent will ascend to achieve the technical skills required to work in a refinery, but that’s not reality. Someone has to be the voice for that segment of the population who wants to do good work and provide opportunities for good jobs. By grace, I have been positioned as a ram in the bush to be that voice, hi-lighting opportunities in manufacturing.

I’m glad to see the national attention on the importance of manufacturing to the economy. It’s encouraging to hear that over 500,000 jobs have been created in the sector in the last three years, and that with the right investments and innovative products, more jobs can be on the horizon. So if manufacturing is foreign to today’s youth (and it’s highly possible that they know no one who works in this industry), how do we as business owners raise awareness about the attractiveness of manufacturing and technology as career options?

One of the things I’ve challenged my team to do is to provide community outreach about the importance of job training and education in manufacturing. We’ve developed a curriculum to introduce prospective students with little workforce experience and understanding about the expectations, skills, and culture required to work in a manufacturing work environment. We engage students in discussions about the importance of economic success and the difference between a job vs. a career over their lifetime. Finally, we try to raise their awareness of common things manufactured. My best example right now is the I-phone. Someone had to innovate/manufacture that technology. Why can’t the next generation be made locally from ingenuity originated from this community? How many jobs would that create?

I begin each day with a prayer to bless my hands to do good works. I am thankful to see my personal growth transcend from expecting a monetary reward for good works to becoming that ram in the bush for those seeking good work. Today, we’re positioned to train and educate about the importance of manufacturing for the economy. I’m waiting with great expectancy on that new innovation to manufacture locally, but no worries, I know the Master Job Creator.