Still Building America—Randy follows the money and loves what he finds

From down below the water to way up high in outer space, welding can be an attractive field to plunge (or launch) into. Kind of like when NFL quarterback Kurt Warner went from bagging groceries to winning a Super Bowl, Randy Reed decided to follow the trail of money from working at a Kroger supermarket to TIG welding stainless steel.

One Kroger co-worker told him about the good wages a welder could earn with minimal schooling. At the same time, another guy he worked with told him about his son attending the Hobart welding school. Hearing about the possibility to make twice the hourly rate he was making at the grocery store, Randy jumped at the opportunity.

At Hobart, Randy went through the nine-month structural and pipe welding program. This led directly to his current job with PHPK Technologies, Columbus, Ohio, which contacted Randy while he was still at Hobart.

“I mainly work on vacuum-insulated pipe lines typically used for liquid nitrogen, liquid oxygen, and liquid helium services. Occasionally we work on rocket fuel lines that are used to go to space for companies such as SpaceX and ULA (United Launch Alliance).

“My favorite part of my job is that I have something different going on every week. Sure, I might work on the same line a few days a week, but once it's done, it's done, and I really don't ever have to see it again.

“At PHPK we do a lot of work for SpaceX; its main mission is to occupy Mars. That is something that I would love to do as well, so long as humans have the ability to do so within my lifetime.”

“I'm going to try to prepare myself [for Mars] by becoming an underwater welder.”

Would he recommend that his peers go into welding?

“I would highly recommend it. It's something I never would've imagined myself doing, but it's something I love doing every single day.”

All images courtesy of Randy Reed.

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