ROBYN CONNER
welder, Tennant Company

Few articles in MRO Today have triggered more letters, e-mail and phone calls than the August/September 1999 editorial on skilled worker shortages.  That article highlighted Robyn Conner, a 19-year-old welder from Buzz Tool & Die in St. Louis Park, Minn., and served to tap her as a poster child for the 21st-century manufacturing worker.

Conner got her first welding job at age 15 and became proficient at MIG, TIG and oxyacetylene welding by the time she turned 18.  The story in MRO Today created a stir, as plant and production managers from around the country sought ways to contact her.

“She had companies competing for her services,” says former employer Fay Buss.  “The fact that she’s a girl had no bearing on it.  They were awed by her skills.”

Minneapolis’ Tennant Company, a multibillion-dollar manufacturer of floor and road cleaning equipment, was the winner.  A sizeable offer sealed the deal.

MRO Today readers remember Conner well.

A production manager who has never met Conner nominated her for the All-Pro Team.

This article appeared in the December 2000/January 2001 issue of MRO Today magazine.

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