In manufacturing, people often think you have to choose between working with your hands or growing your mind. At Lampin, we know you can do both. A career in precision manufacturing is about more than just mechanical skill; it’s about the desire to understand how things work. You shouldn’t have to choose between a paycheck and a degree, and our career paths are built on the idea that when you grow, the company grows.
Take Bob, for example. Bob wanted to be an engineer long before he ever set foot in a machine shop. As a kid, he was drawn to how things worked — not just how to fix them, but how systems fit together and why. That interest stayed with him, even as his career took a more practical route early on.
Learning the Trades, Looking Ahead
Before joining Lampin, Bob worked in the HVAC industry. He was good at it. The work sharpened his mechanical instincts, taught him how to diagnose real-world problems, and gave him a strong foundation in systems thinking. But it wasn’t the end goal.
HVAC was never the destination — it was part of the path. Bob still had his eye on engineering, and over time it became clear that he’d reached the limits of how far he could grow without changing environments.
He didn’t want to leave hands-on work behind. He wanted a place where practical experience and engineering could exist side by side.
Finding the Right Environment
When Bob joined Lampin, he started on the shop floor, learning the processes and standards that define precision manufacturing. The work immediately connected with the way he thought. Tolerances mattered. Process mattered. Understanding why something worked mattered. The connection between design, execution, and outcome was visible every day.
The Power of Ownership
Lampin is 100% employee-owned, a structure that fundamentally changes the relationship between a company and its team.
So, what does this mean in practice? It means that every person on the shop floor is a stakeholder, not just an employee. Through the Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP), hard work translates directly into company equity. As Lampin succeeds, the value of that ownership grows, providing team members with a tangible stake in the company’s future and a powerful vehicle for long-term retirement wealth.
Turning a Long-Term Goal into a Reality
Bob knew that becoming an engineer would require both education and experience. At Lampin, he didn’t have to choose between the two. As he gained hands-on experience in the shop, he also pursued his engineering education with flexible scheduling and tuition reimbursement. What he learned in class showed up in real production challenges. What he encountered on the floor gave context and weight to the theory. Each reinforced the other. Instead of postponing his goal, Bob was actively building toward it.
Stepping Into a Technical Role
Over time, Bob’s responsibilities grew along with his understanding. Today, he’s leading complex projects and supporting teammates who are earlier in their own learning curves. He’s still close to the work, but his role now reflects the direction he’s been moving toward for years while allowing him to pursue the education he needs to achieve his goals.
Bob’s path isn’t about discovering a new interest. It’s about finally having the opportunity to pursue one that’s been there all along. With the right environment, support, and expectations, a childhood ambition is turning into a real, working career.
Do you enjoy solving problems and working with your hands? Are you looking for a company that will invest in your education and your future?
At Lampin, we aren’t looking for perfect resumes—we’re looking for people who are driven to succeed, mechanically inclined, and want to build a life-long career that will support their long-term goals.
