Kerry Paige

During his junior year at E.C. Glass, one of Kerry Paige’s classes paid a visit to the school’s machine shop. “I thought it was interesting,” he recalls, “so I signed up for it.”

That simple decision soon led Kerry straight into a career.

When he became a senior, his machining teacher helped him get a part-time job at Wegmann USA in Lynchburg. “I spent my afternoons there three days a week, doing things like running the sandblaster and deburring parts.” A full-time job was waiting for him at Wegmann after graduation, and he quickly moved up into the post of Section Leader.

Today, he shapes blocks of steel into critical components for America’s defense.