Internships @ PacDie – Meet Grant Owens

11 JUNE 2021 | VANCOUVER, WA. -- Shortly after graduating high school, Grant Owens enlisted with the US Navy and found himself working on a submarine from 2008 to 2013. After leaving the service, Grant wasn't quite ready for college, so he went to work in the North Dakota oil fields for a few years, but remained intrigued by the submarine he served on for five years.

"I was impressed how everything was put together, how everything had more than one purpose, and just that people were able to build this self-contained machine," he says. That passion led him to enroll at Portland State University in 2017 and major in engineering. "I wanted to make things, I wanted to build things. It all went back to that experience on the boat."

As the pandemic unfolded, finding opportunities for internships and professional development was difficult for students like Grant. But PacDie opened their door to him in late 2020. CEO Elizabeth Gubrud says she started Grant off with random tasks.

"I was hanging Christmas decorations, running errands, and working in shipping," Grant says, chuckling. "I was just doing whatever they needed and they were able to work around my school schedule so it worked really well."

Pretty soon, Grant says the leash was loosened, and Elizabeth eventually asked him if he was interested in getting into quality control. PacDie owns a Hexagon Coordinating Measuring Machine (CMM) to make precise measurements on the geometry of parts, but they didn't have anyone to program the measurement of new parts.

Not having the skills to operate the machine became a barrier to new business making the technical and intricate parts Elizabeth was interested in manufacturing. Building the skillset in-house, Elizabeth was able to push PacDie into new markets and spaces. When customers need a part that requires the CMM, we're now ready to go.

"There is huge cost savings for sure," Grant adds. "If they need parts measured, they'll just be able to do it." He also says that he got a lot more than engineering experience out of the internship. The Navy Veteran says he learned how to draft professional emails, work with customers, negotiate, and operate on a professional level.

Elizabeth took the helm of PacDie in January 2020 and enlisting eager partners like Grant is part of her initiative to modernize and professionalize the business. "We're taking more complicated and more challenging jobs," she says. "We're getting new customers and making better parts."

Providing professional and personal growth opportunities for her employees is a priority. "We want our workforce to grow with the business."

Grant echoes that. "I was challenged but I was not micromanaged. They gave me room, but I had deadlines and I had to meet them." And in Grant's case, PacDie helped an employee grow beyond the business. After he graduates this month, he'll be working as a mechatronics engineer with Applied Motion Systems.

"I took a tour of their facility with Elizabeth," he says, "just to learn more about their operation." A month later, he had an interview. Now he has a permanent job with them. "My experience at PacDie was a great precursor to develop that type of motivation and work ethic."