Page 20 - HIWT Winter 2011 World of Welding

THE WORLD OF WELDING http://www.welding.org

SucceSS STORy

BRaD DemenT BRinGS eDucaTiOn anD eXPeRience

TO DelaWaRe aRea caReeR cenTeR

Brad DeMent arrived at Hobart Institute in early 2006 and We also worked on a large multi-million dollar project where
enrolled in the Structural Welding Program. we designed, engineered, fabricated and built 30 chemical
steam generators for the A-3 test stand at the Stennis Space
“When I graduated,” explained Brad, “I had many interested Center. Other clients included: NASA Kennedy, Lockheed
employers and a handful of immediate job offers. Being from Martin, Jefferson Laboratories, Los Alamos, and NASA Glenn
Jeffersonville, Ohio, a small farming community, I could just to name a few.” [www.nasa.gov]
already tell that my HIWT education was really going to take
me places.”
Brad narrowed the offers down to 3 employers: one in Decatur,
Ill., one in Lafayette, IN. and another in Reading, PA.

“I traveled and interviewed at the 3 places and received
job offers from all 3 places,” said Brad. “I chose the job
in Lafayette, IN. working for a well-known businessman
named Murf McKinney, CEO and President of McKinney
Corp. McKinney Corp. is the top chassis builder for Top Fuel
Dragsters and Funny Cars that race on the NHRA [www.nhra.
com] racing circuit.” [www.mckinneycorp.com]

Brad spent his next 13 months honing his welding and
fabricating skills with some of the best welders he had ever
met.

“I helped TIG weld on race cars and racing components which
reached, at the time, more than 330 miles per hour,” Brad
commented. “We worked with 4130 chrome-moly for the Brad DeMent at Eden Cryogenics LLC
frames for the cars, ranging in thickness from .035 to .083.
We also used titanium for wheelie bars, roll cages shrouds and After nearly four years, Brad left the company as a welding
underbody supports for the fiberglass body. The company also shift supervisor.
worked with aluminum, making fuel cells and driver’s seats.
We built cars for some of the top drivers, such as John Force, This past August, Brad received a job offer to be the Welding
Tony Schumacher, Ron Capps, Don “Snake” Prudhomme, Instructor at The Delaware Area Career Center (DACC), in
Tim Wilkerson, Robert Height, and Ashley Force, to name a Delaware, Ohio.
few.”
“I couldn’t wait to hop on the opportunity!” Brad says
After a great experience at McKinney Corp, Brad accepted a enthusiastically. “I knew after the time I spent at Eden
job offer closer to home in Plain City, Ohio. Cryogenics as a welding supervisor, that I wanted to get into
the education field and help the up and coming welders of
“I started my new career as a TIG welder/fabricator for a today become the better welders of tomorrow. I truly have
small, start-up company called Eden Cryogenics, LLC. [www. a passion for welding and I want to share my passion, and
edencryogenics.com] They specialize in custom, high-end knowledge, with others.”
cryogenic equipment, systems and components for NASA,”
Brad continued. “This was an ASME pressure vessel coded At DACC, Brad is solely in charge of the welding program.
shop that welded on stainless steel 95% of the time. I had a He teaches students in SMAW, FCAW, GTAW, GMAW, OFC,
hand in building and welding on pressure vessels, tanks, space OFW, and blueprint reading along with some basic fabrication
simulators and vacuum-jacketed piping, among other things. skills. (Continued on page 21)

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