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Making things right

A teenAGe mAchinist finds her cAreer H
story by terence corriGAn

Micro Craft President/CEO Kenneth Sullivan and Stacie Owen banter. Stacie’s training at the
Tennessee College of Applied Technology prepared her well for employment as a machinist.
Photo by Terence Corrigan.

n her first week working for aerospace manufacturer micro architectural engineering, welding, electricity and machining.
craft, stacie owen had already established herself as a “I didn’t like architectural engineering,” she said. machining
Isoon to be top-of-the-shop machinist. was the discipline that suited her.
“In her first week here she is already running parts which she originally wanted to be a veterinarian, she said, “until I
is highly unusual for a fresh out machinist,” said micro craft realized I’d have to cut an animal open.”
president/ceo kenneth sullivan. the other workers on the “now she works with animals,” kenneth said. “but believe
shop floor “were braggin’ on her. she’s like ‘give it here, get it or not our animals are better than average.”
out of the way.’” After graduating from high school in 2016, stacie knew
“I didn’t say that,” stacie said, “but they like to say I did.” where she was headed next and enrolled in the tcAt machine
“If we like you around here we pick on you,” kenneth said. tool program.
stacie got most of her training in the kenneth said when stacie applied
machine tool program at tennessee college to work at micro craft her background
of Applied technology in shelbyville. but ‘I wanted to be a including training at tcAt and spot-lowe
she’s been in preparation for a career in veterinarian until I and her work with her parents as a child
manufacturing most of her 19 years. surprised them. “that blew our mind when
she grew up in lewisburg, where her realized I’d have to cut we interviewed her,” kenneth said. “’you’ve
mother and father owned and operated a an animal open.’ got to be kidding me.’ that’s highly unusual
backyard injection molding business: owen for anybody. the interview was hilarious.
plastics, llc. — Stacie Owen ‘you’ve really done all that stuff?’”
one of their premier products was It might seem to members of the baby
the highly ornate pic guard for gibson boom generation that for a female to get a job
hummingbird guitars. “for 14 years we were the only ones in a machine shop is unusual. but, for the millennials, things
who made them,” stacie said. stacie “helped out a little bit” are changing. And at micro craft, it’s never been unusual for a
with her parents’ business … “for a little extra money.” female to be employed in the shop.
but it was in high school that stacie established her course micro craft, was founded in 1958, and after its founder,
on the career path to be a machinist. charles folk, died in a glider accident in 1969 his wife,
At marshall county high school, stacie, enrolled in classes eveyln, took over and employed their daughter and son-in-
at spot-lowe vocational center, where she took courses in law to help run the company. the folks’ daughter, fran folk-
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