National Tooling & Machining Association recognizes metalworking excellence

At the National Tooling & Machining Association (NTMA) Fall Conference in Charlotte, NC last week, Chairman Herb Homeyer awarded Pittsburgh’s own Greg Chambers of Oberg Industries with the prestigious William E. Hardman Award for Excellence in Training. This award is reserved for an individual or member company who has demonstrated consistently strong support and active participation in structured training for the Precision Custom Manufacturing Industry.

Chambers is the Environmental, Health, & Safety (EHS) Manager and 33-year employee of Oberg Industries, a $125 million manufacturer of precision components headquartered in Freeport, PA. Chambers has overseen Oberg’s apprentice program as well as the health and safety of Oberg’s employees, but he has also been instrumental in promoting manufacturing as a successful career choice among youth both locally and nationally. Chambers served as past President of the National Institute of Metalworking Skills (NIMS) as well as the past President of the American Apprenticeship Roundtable.

Chambers continues to use his knowledge and skills to help improve metalworking training standards for the industry. Chambers is a valuable member of a local and progressive association group that was instrumental in bringing the BotsIQ program to Southwestern Pennsylvania. He serves on the Executive Committee and oversees all safety issues for the regional student robotics program. Chambers has also been an active leader of the Precision Machining Competition at the annual Skills USA National Leadership and Skills Conferences for the past decade and spends much of his free time involved with community affairs including his participation as a recruitment liaison and guest speaker with many high schools, colleges, universities and business organizations in Western Pennsylvania and throughout the U.S.A.

“When I think of dedication to training and our industry there is no one more deserving of the highly regarded William E. Hardman Award than Greg Chambers,”

said Dave Tilstone, president of the NTMA. “He’s not only a leader in the education of employees at Oberg Industries, but his leadership as chairman of NIMS and the tireless support he provides to the Pittsburgh BotsIQ program is unparalleled.

On behalf of the Executive Committee of NTMA and the entire NTMA community, congratulations Greg and we are very proud to call you a member,” said Dave Tilstone, president of the NTMA.

The William E. Hardman Award for Excellence in Training is named for William E. “Ed” Hardman, past president and chief operating officer of the National Tooling and Machining Association in Washington from 1966 until he retired in 1986.

Chambers is the third Pittsburgh Chapter NTMA member to be honoured with the Hardman award. Jim Gilmore, past apprentice coordinator for the Pittsburgh Chapter NTMA and Phyllis Miller of Hamill Manufacturing are past recipients.