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Region Lures Engineers from Far and Wide Originally published in U Magazine February 1998 "I wanted to be closer to family, but I thought that Minneapolis would be the closest I could get and still have challenging work in my field," says Phoenix International Senior Technical Specialist, IE, Ron Landman. A 1977 UND graduate, Ron has seven children ages 2 to 17 and wanted to be closer to relatives. After 14 years in scientific research for the Ford Motor Company, Ron accepted a position at Phoenix International as Senior Technical Specialist. "It was wonderful to find out I could work in North Dakota in my field. Phoenix is a relatively small company so I have the chance to do more things. I represent the company at the Society of Automotive Engineers and serve on the Standards Committee." Ron goes on, "Because of the Internet, I have access to the same information and people and expertise that I did in Detroit; I just don't have to put up with big city problems. At Phoenix, we have people coming back here from all over. We have great expertise and can compete with anyone in the country or internationally in what we do. Ron's thoughts probably reflect those of the majority of engineering professionals who graduated from NDSU, MSU and UND in the 80s and early 90s. Luckily, times have changed, and so has the job market. The number of engineers coming home after years of professional development and career growth is a tribute to just how much has changed. Steve Gasal, Maintenance Service Engineer with Lucas Aerospace in Jamestown, returned from Seattle, Washington where he was employed by Boeing since his graduation from the University of Minnesota. Steve, who grew up on his family's farm near Jamestown, says, "I jumped at the chance to come back. I was fed up with the congestion, the high cost of living, the lengthy commutes. I was spending a half hour each way; now I'm six minutes from work. I have all the job satisfaction I'm used to, challenging work, and a lot less bureaucracy." Brent Harris, also a former Boeing employee, graduated from UND in 1986 with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. Brent says, "My job at Boeing was almost identical to my job here. The difference is, in a smaller company, my work can have a greater impact. At Boeing, you feel rather insignificant. I like it that my work here at Lucas Aerospace makes a contribution to the success of the company." Lucas Aerospace Design Engineer Ron Robson, graduated from Carrington High School in 1984 and from Texas A&M in 1989. Ron worked for General Dynamics in Fort Worth until 1991 when he joined Lucas. "Being closer to family is important," Ron explains. "When I was in Texas, I spent a lot of my vacation time driving to North Dakota. This was a positive career move for me. The wages are competitive and the cost of living is less. Because it's a smaller company-500 employees vs. 24,000 at GD, you see a bigger view of the whole business process. We know what marketing is up to and what customer sup-port is up to." When Mike Reich graduated from NDSU in 1990, the job market in the FM area wasn't good for engineering graduates. Accepting a position with the Naval Undersea Warfare Center in Keyport, Washington, Mike found himself in a challenging but frustrating environment. "It was a typical government job in many ways-some things I liked, but you had to deal with red tape constantly. I really wasn't looking to "get out," but when a recruiter called from Phoenix International, I decided to come out on a whim." Mike goes on, "I was really impressed. The atmosphere was much different. The business is small enough that you can get things done without having to fight it through 'the system.' While I enjoyed the West Coast, this fit very well with what I wanted to do." U
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