Blog #1 Pre-Project

Nick Bollinger

Hawken Project

5/11/22

Blog 1

            For my Hawken Project, I will be spending the next three weeks with Ryan Rogers, the Director of Operations at Cres Cor. Cres Cor is a manufacturer of industrial ovens, warmers, hot cabinets, and refrigerators that are used across the country. Some of the common uses for Cres Cor products is for Red Lobster and Olive Garden to keep their delicious cheddar biscuits and breadsticks warm in all night long. Along with that, they also serve Outback steakhouse, Buc-ee’s gas stations, and Little Cesar’s pizza. If you have ever had a “hot’n’ready” pizza, it came from one of Cres Cor’s products.

            As the Director of Operations, Ryan’s job entails project and people management, problem solving, and making sure everything is running smooth. Along with Ryan, I will also be spending time with the engineering department and fabrication and assembly supervisors. I will be majoring in mechanical engineering technology next year at Montana State University, so this project is perfect to see what future jobs could look like in my professional career.

Manufacturing and engineering is something that I have always been interested in for as long as I can remember. I have always been fascinated with how and why stuff works, so being in a manufacturing plant where the process begins with raw material and leaves as the finished product is extremely interesting to be a part of. I am broadening my horizons with this project to further my experience in the engineering and manufacturing industry to gain knowledge and see what potential jobs can look like.