MILWAUKEE — Don Snow, operations manager of CS Tool Engineering Inc., has been named Mold Builder of the Year by the American Mold Builders Association.
The award was announced May 15 at the association's annual convention in Milwaukee.
Snow has been with Cedar Springs, Mich.-based CS Tool for nearly 35 years, he told Plastics News. AMBA commended his dedication to developing new talent for the tool making industry, through an in-house apprenticeship program and work with the local educational community.
At CS Tool, Snow teaches a class “to give these employees a better idea of what it takes to build a plastic injection mold” and slow down the process to let information really sink in.
“Everyone wants to learn at a fast pace, you still need to go back through and teach some principles, and some of this stuff is stuff only you yourself can teach,” he said. From teaching the value of different materials an emphasis on good customer service, the programs aim to capture youths' interest and build their skills.
“We desperately need youth learning these trades,” Snow said.
Snow has also worked with the Michigan Economic Development Committee to increase advertising for the tool making industry on the state's website, according to an AMBA news release.