The first father-daughter team on staff at Edgewater.
Todd Tanksley is a farm-out fabrication and machining purchaser who started as a lead machine builder eight years ago. His daughter Ashley is a third-year apprentice machine builder studying in the four-year journeyman program. They’re Edgewater’s first staff father-daughter team, and they’re really happy about it.
“The culture at Edgewater is unique in that they allow things like this. They don’t worry about the norms in the industry, they let things develop. It comes from the top down. And I think the whole thing was more divine than we truly think, Todd says.
Ashley recalls that “Before I came on staff, I was painting, deburring, helping with small assemblies. I was offered a spot in the apprentice program, and I accepted. My dad didn’t know about the offer, and when I told him, he was overjoyed.”
She continues: “Learning from the machinists has been great. Building machines mechanically from start to finish requires a very good knowledge of how to make parts, and the other machinists are very helpful, always ready to teach if you’re ready to learn. It’s nice being in a friendly, family-like environment. When my dad left the floor to be a purchasing agent, I kind of freaked out, but other machinists stepped in and mentored me. That was helpful, especially when Dad said, “You have to make it on your own and not rely on me.” I can still go to him, but I don’t depend on him to get my job done.
“I’m ecstatic,” Todd says. “For Ashley to have this chance really chokes me up. Let’s face it, boys have more opportunities in the workplace than girls. At Edgewater, she’s learned a skill and received an education through the Lake Michigan College machine builder apprenticeship program. I let the guys on the floor be her mentors, but I’m still Dad, and when there’s a tough day, I’m always here to listen.”
As for goals and dreams, Ashley says, “They’re already happening – and I’m excited to one day lead my own jobs. I just got my first end-of-arm tooling assignment. Also, I like being a role model for other girls who may want to enter the field.”
“We’re both so grateful to be part of this company – a company that’s been very good to us,” says Todd. “I’ve worked with these guys for a long time, and it makes me so happy to see how employees are brought up into advanced positions. I see positive things for both our futures, and I am so thankful.”
