Sterling recently graduated from his four year apprenticeship in the shipyard. At his graduation ceremony, there were four special awards given out. I may be bias, but his award was the best. It was unexpected but well deserved. Of course he is much more modest about it than I am...he started getting emotional on stage. I on the other hand, couldn't stop smiling and nudged the lady next to me to let her know that "That's my husband!" To which, she replied, "He's cute too." Smart lady. Lol.
Anyway, so the award...
Anyway, so the award...
APPRENTICE CRAFTSMAN OF THE YEAR 2010!!
The following is the write up written to nominate him, which is kind of lengthy but worth the read. By the time you're done, you'll be proud of him! During the ceremony, they announced the award, and then called him up as the winner. He was awarded a plaque, $500, and had to stand there while they read a portion of the write up. I CANNOT believe I forgot my camera! Sorry there are no pictures for this special occasion.
Without further ado, the write up...
On occasion you witness people that perform their job well in excess of what you could have expected. On occasion you hear about that new guy or gal that is going to be the next big thing. On occasion you read about another employee that exemplifies the craft they work in. Rarely do you read about someone who encompasses all of the aforementioned occasions. Please accept this nominations for Mr. Sterling Place as the PSNS Apprentice Craftsman of the Year 2010.
Mr. Place is considered to be a craftsman of the pipe shop. He is known for the great efforts he displays while accomplishing work and the timeliness with which he does it. Mr. Place approaches his work in a quiet professional manner, which allows him to communicate well with the work team, other trades, and engineering. Throughout the classroom portion of his apprenticeship he maintained a 3.8 GPA, while performing at a high technical level out of the classroom.
As an in-shop employee, Mr. Place is very accomplished. He can work any work station from running the bending machines for nuclear & non-nuclear pipe, manufacturing gaskets and hangers, building piping targets (complex fit-up), prepping & fitting P1 RT joints (high end expertise), setting up and testing SUBSAFE components, and accomplishing dip brazing for waveguide (with which our command has a limited group of qualified personnel). In shop we have mechanics that are knowledgeable in 1 or 2 of these areas, but not as experiences, and as knowledgeable as Mr. Place.
Mr. Place is a "go to guy", he can be depended on to work extended shifts or change shifts at a moment's notice. He has supported many emergent TDY trips to include several CASREP'S. He has been asked for repeatedly by name to support project key event dates where the APS or Zone Manager thought the pipe shop may slip.
During the 2nd year of his apprenticeship Mr. Place was made the lead inside shop bender. The shop was positive Mr. Place could accomplish this highly technical assignment and he did with no churn or impacts to project schedules typically witnessed in this situation. His ability and persistent excellence in craftsmanship supported on time delivery of the fleets needs to many projects. These included nuclear & Non nuclear pipe bending packages to support the John C. Stennis (CVN 74) and an in shop AHP piping repair that allowed the support the San Francisco (SSN 711) to regain the operational abilities of the MBT's to support undocking.
On the John C. Stennis (CVN 74) he accomplished bending of 388 tubes for both re-boilers. These tubes come in long lengths in excess of 40' and can be easily stressed or warped prior to any bending. He was able to accomplish this task with zero deflections in his bends and no loss of material. This is a time consuming task and requires precision and attention to numerous small details. To further the difficulty of this work, all of the tubing has a thinner wall (thickness of pipe) that proves extremely difficult for even highly experienced pipe benders.
Upon conclusion of the tubing job Mr. Place was asked to work extra hours to help abate a serious problem on the same project. A loss of cleanliness in one of the piping systems critical for a planned Key Event was in jeopardy of delaying the availability. It was in this functional role that he showed an ability to handle the stress of Project & Shop Superintendents watching his work and having to answer process questions to all levels above him. As a result of him and his team extraordinary efforts the date was met.
Last year he was requested to support the reinstall of three AC plants in the engine room of the Emory S. Land (AS-39). When the foundations were reinstalled, they did not go back in the exact locations from which they had been removed. This issue led to a huge piping modification to suit the new conditions. This involved assisting engineering in establishing the best routes possible with the minimal amount of joints installed in the piping runs. Mr. Place was not only able to help visualize this process, but also aid in communicating where bent piping could be used to address the need for joint minimization. The piping modifications were finished on time to meet the undocking date with NO LEAKS, NO DEFECTS, and NO REPAIRS.
Mr. Place volunteered to support a CASREP on Nimitz (CVN 68) in 2010. He was the lead mechanic for his supervisor as a fourth year apprentice. His supervisor depended upon his level of knowledge (pipefitter expertise) to support the work package which consisted of piping removal and reinstallation to support the main engine work. All of the work was done in sequence and without error or missteps. No scheduled end dates were missed for his work in spite of considerable growth in scope during the availability.
Mr. Place currently supports work on the John C. Stennis (CVN 74). His job assignments include the AFFF (fire fighting system) modifications forward & aft on the ship and the bender for the project. The AFFF mod is very large encompassing most of the 2nd and third decks. This work is on schedule and cost.
Mr. Place also possess values not typically observed in employees with his time in the trade. He is counted on for being on time daily, eager to learn & teach, leading complex jobs, and working by himself in many cases due to his qualifications, and for being the premiere fitter of his respective apprentice class.
During the apprenticeship Mr. Place has been awarded eight special service awards, and three tie off awards for his exemplary work practices. He was nominated for even more. Mr. Place through all of this has kept a level head and never speaks of himself as greater than the whole of the group.
Outside of work Mr. Place is a devoted husband and the father of three sons. Besides spending quality time with his family, he is active in his community, church, volleyball, and artwork sculptures. He has helped families within his church group with various home projects from small repairs to remodeling. He has the same work ethic for this work as he does in the workplace. First time quality and pride in his workmanship.
He enjoys playing volleyball and competing in tournaments with his brother on the weekends. He will show a smile win or lose and be considered a great person as well. Prior to his employment at PSNS-IMF, Mr. Place had attended the Seattle Are Institute. He has used those acquired skills to design signage within the shop and to sculpt, of which he derives great enjoyment.
Mr. Place is known for dependability, knowledge, following & understanding of processes, and his dedication to quality for a job done right the first time. He has pride in ownership to the end of the project. He is the craftsman of his trade that every supervisor wants on their crew. To say he is "well rounded" would be an understatement. He is a true "CRAFTSMAN" of the trade.
What'd I tell you? Awesome right?! On his way back to his seat, a reporter pulled him into the hallway for a picture and some questions. No one else got such treatment. I guess you could say he's famous. Lol. I am so proud to call this man my husband!!
