Issue link: https://nebusinessmedia.uberflip.com/i/1170706
3 8 S T U F F • F a l l 2 0 1 9 S T U F F M a d e I n C T . c o m "It's fun. If you're into Legos and stuff, which I always loved as a kid, this is kind of like grown-up Legos. You're trying to put them together and make them work," he said. Whitcraft employees take great pride in the fact that they're doing military work. "We know what we're a part of, and we definitely keep that in mind," LaMountain said. Fighter jets and their pilots "keep us safe, so we need to keep them safe by making good parts. . . . A lot of people [at Whitcraft] are really proud to be a part of the team that makes these engines that go into these aircraft that defend the nation." The significance of working in the aerospace industry is uppermost in Hollie Lehouillier's mind. Lehouillier is a quality inspector at Phoenix Manufacturing in Enfield. She attended vocational school to be a machinist, but after working in that capacity for several years, she sought out a change. "I realized that I wanted to know more about parts – what they do, and why," Lehouillier said. Her curiosity and eagerness to learn eventually led her to the quality side of manufacturing. Phoenix is one of the cleanest shops she's ever worked for, she said, and the technology is advanced. She enjoys knowing she is making a real contribution to the end product and beyond. "I like to make sure that the products that are leaving the company are good," Lehouillier said "I like to know about the part. I like to know everything about them. I like to know where they're going, what they're used for." And because "everything's always improving and the technology's always becoming much more advanced," she said, "I always get to learn more about how something gets inspected and why." Lehouillier thinks about what her work contributes to – the safety and security of the country – with every part she inspects. "I'm very critical when it comes to my inspections. I'm always making sure that everything is perfect," Lehouillier said. "Everything that we inspect is a matter of life safety." Hollie Lehouillier POSITION: Quality inspector COMPANY: Phoenix Manufacturing, Enfield AGE: 26 RESIDENCE: Chicopee, Mass. SALARY FOR ENTRY LEVEL IN THE POSITION: $15-18 per hour WHAT'S THE WOD? "I'm a coach for CrossFit." Krystyna "Krys" Paluch, owner and CEO of Phoenix Manufacturing Inc., a maker of precision aerospace parts in Enfield.