Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1493016
REAL TIME WITH... IPC APEX EXPO 2023 SHOW & TELL MAGAZINE I I-CONNECT007 29 REAL TIME WITH... IPC APEX EXPO 2023 SHOW & TELL MAGAZINE I I-CONNECT007 29 I know, and they were all so gracious and wel- coming; IPC really is about people. That was my very first experience and continues to be my experience to this day. It's about people, and about learning. Everyone is there to do exactly that. I bet you have many special memories over the years. All the people I've met bring special memo- ries. But another memory that stands out was a loud and fierce debate over one of the requirements in IPC J-STD-001. I was chair- ing the committee at the time, and members were fighting. It was loud. I thought, "They're going to throw punches; what am I going to do here?" They were really going at it. Finally, I said, "You know, we need a lunch break. We need to calm down and think about this. We'll come back, continue, and maybe come to a resolution." When we came back from lunch, I noticed that the committee members had moved to different seats. The tables were set up in a U-shape, and as we settled in, I said, "Okay, we're going to talk about this." Just then, I realized they had lined themselves up. Those that were proponents for the comment were on my left, and those that were opposed were on my right. In the back of the room were those who didn't care. Even at the time, I knew this was a special moment, and that memory comes back to me every time I go into a committee meeting and hear the fierce debates. Who would think solder could be so emotional? Oh, it is an emotional subject. When I think back to my job offer from IPC, I was smiling that day from ear to ear, and I'm still smiling. The opportunity to work in this industry is just amazing. That is very true. What do you find most exciting? I have to say right now, it's advanced pack- aging, Factory of the Future, some of the projects the IPC Solutions Group is looking at, as well as some of the work we're starting with sustainability. The important thing is this: Electronics are everywhere. They impact every one of us daily, and we're making prog- ress in all those areas. I wish we could be around 50 years from now to see what it all looks like. Ten or 15 years ago, you couldn't imagine what everything is today. Thirty years ago, you surely couldn't. It never occurred to anyone that it would be like this. No, who could imagine you could carry every- thing around in the phone in your pocket? It's just amazing, the strides that we've made. What advice do you have for someone new to the industry or who shows up in an IPC committee meeting? Immerse yourself and volunteer. It's impor- tant to remember a job isn't finished until you've given it everything you have. Don't say, "Oh yeah, I'm done with that," and walk away, because there's always something new and exciting to be uncovered. Someone just starting out in the industry really should take IPC Hall of Fame Award