Meet Jason

Jason is very proud to be working as a CNC mill operator and machinist at an aerospace company developing a variety of technologies to enable private human access to space. They hire the best of the best. He is also delighted to tell people where he went to school for manufacturing. At his current company, many have graduated from USC, MIT, University of Michigan, Stanford and other top schools. However, Jason proudly announces that he first learned his skills and knowledge of manufacturing from Pioneer Industries.

In his teens Jason got married, became a father and joined the army. He was based in South Dakota and trained as an artillery scout. After a night out drinking with a bunk mate the course of his life took a dramatic turn. When they had run out of beer money and were intoxicated, they decided to break into a change dispenser at a car wash. They were caught and sentenced to five years in prison in South Dakota. He lost everything – including the relationship with his wife and child, and ended up serving a total of four years and nine months in prison.

After his release he was thinking about getting into construction but a family friend recommended that Jason look into becoming a machinist and told him about Pioneer Industries’ training program that accepts people who have criminal histories. “I got into Pioneer’s training program and it was really comprehensive. I learned through a combination of hands-on training and studying as I worked in drills and assembly, tools and dies, and then I moved into manual mills. After nine months I realized that this career was going to involve a lifetime of learning if I wanted to be the best – I was hooked.”

Jason left Pioneer to work at JC Manufacturing near his new home where he started in deburring parts, mastered all the bench work, and moved into the manual and CNC mills. After four years, he joined Monroe Machine Products where he worked as a CNC machine operator for 14 years and became the shop lead and head programmer before being hired at his current aerospace company. “I have worked hard to master my skill. I even taught myself to be a CAD programmer. But I am forever grateful to Pioneer for giving me the initial training and foundation to what has become my passion and profession.”