From the Web 3.4.14

Among today’s Fab Top 5 items of interest to fabricators published on the Web in the previous week are stories about a ’36 Chevy truck rebuild, a fabricator vying for governor of Massachusetts, and an Italian gunmaker bringing a factory and jobs to the U.S. Also featured is an article that says the trickle of jobs returning to U.S. shores could soon become a torrent:

1. Wayne Bagby, Augusta, Kansas, who retired from Boeing after 37 years as a metal fabricator, has spent the last 16 years restoring his 1936 Chevy pickup. Painted in Chrysler Inferno Red Crystal Pearl, it’s a “real eye popper.” Bagby’s wife thinks it needs Cragar chrome 5-spokes. A long wait rewarded; kansas.com

2. Taking part in the gubernatorial candidate series being sponsored by the Rappaport Center for Law and Public Service at Suffolk University, fabricator Mark Fisher, a little-known candidate from Shrewsbury, Mass., weighed in on education. He said the state has put too great a focus on higher education, spending at the expense of training young people for blue collar jobs like welding or plumbing. Fisher said that government investment should be “ratcheted down to a level where carpenters, plumbers, electricians, welders, mechanics can benefit from it; I don’t think we have focused enough on those jobs that don’t require a college education.” GOP State challenger sees no need for ‘centrist’; www.gloucestertimes.com

3. Chiappa, an Italian gunmaker known for its exotic firearms, such as a triple barrel shotgun, is going to start making them in America. It’s building a factory in Dayton, Ohio, and plans to bring it online by the summer. The company already employs 14 people in Ohio and Kentucky who import and sell its guns. The new factory will create up to 16 jobs. Italian gunmaker brings factory jobs to U.S.; money.cnn.com

4. In his State of the Union address, the president praised Master Lock for returning 100 jobs to Milwaukee from China. Is this move an anomaly or a sign of things to come? According to a Forbes.com article, “there is a flow of returning jobs that is gaining momentum every day and it looks like may be here to stay.” Trickle of Jobs Returning to U.S. shores could soon become a torrent; forbes.com

5. Organizations and schools across the U.S. are doing what they can to ensure that workers can be found for these returning jobs. Brandon Platt, son of Clark Metal Products employee Bill Platt, has just received a four-year scholarship for welder training. Brandon is one of many students pursuing jobs in fabricating to receive a scholarship from the Fabricators & Manufacturers Association International (FMA). ICTC: Platt receives four-year scholarship for welding; indianagazette.com