SME Member Spotlight: Ted Brolund, FSME

Longtime SME member, Ted Brolund, FSME, recently sat down with us to share his thoughts on how his SME membership has impacted his career and the overall value he's derived from his 70-year membership.

Ted, who's an active SME Chicagoland Chapter 5 member, was elected to the SME College of Fellows in 1988. Below are Ted's responses to the questions we posed to him.

• When did you join SME?
  1952
   
• What is the primary reason you joined SME and/or why do you continue to maintain your membership?
  I was a student in Oscar Olson’s shop class at East High School in Rockford, Illinois. He encouraged me to apply for a scholarship from SME. I submitted an application and was later awarded a scholarship from SME Chapter 5. Throughout college and my professional career at W.A. Whitney Corp., I maintained my SME membership as it was a valuable tool for networking and educational material throughout my career.
   
• What is your most memorable experience with SME?
  I was one of three students who won the first-ever student scholarship awarded from SME Chapter 5.
   
• When did you realize you wanted to pursue a career in manufacturing?
  While I was attending engineering school in 1952.
   
• What is the most important benefit SME provides you?
  Providing members with the latest manufacturing news and trends. I was able to take that information and apply it to my professional work.
   
• What are the biggest changes you’ve seen in manufacturing throughout your career?
  From drawing boards to CAD-CAM, CNC machines, plasma arc and laser cutting.
   
• What piece of advice would you give to a student or individual with limited industry experience seeking a job or career in manufacturing?
  Get as much technical education as possible. Work summers in places like machine shops and do your best to learn the basics and build your skills.
   
• What would you say to an emerging professional to encourage them to join SME?
  SME helps members keep the pulse of what’s trending within manufacturing. It’s the best way to learn and apply trendy manufacturing information.

Thank you Ted for sharing your story with us! Please email membership@sme.org if you'd like to be featured in a future Member Spotlight!