For a little over a year, it’s been a pleasure having Chris Tonn Jr. as a Maker Labs Assistant. He worked closely with the Facilities Manager and Maker Labs Lead Jeremiah Burian, helping with regular maintenance and special projects all around the building.

We did this interview right before he made the announcement:

Starting next week, Chris will be joining the Automotive Program at WSU Tech!

We were glad to have him as a part of the team and wish him well in his future endeavors. Groover Labs is proud to be a launching pad for our employees as well as the businesses and tech startups we foster!

How long have you been working at Groover Labs?

I’ve been working here for one year now, which is crazy.

2. How did you first get involved?

My dad. He mentioned that he has known about Groover for a while, and then he brought up the possibility of my working here the week after my high school graduation. Then he kept mentioning it! I started last July.

3. What have you learned at Groover Labs?

I spend a lot of time working with Jeremiah on different projects. It’s given me the chance to work with more equipment and learn new skills like welding and painting.

I helped complete the courtyard, cleaning, sanding, and painting the beams. What’s funny, the sanding took longer than the painting. The paint would dry as we put it on the beam. All in, that project took about a month.

4. What are things you like that people wouldn’t expect?

I’m into Nascar and I’m a huge animal lover.

5. What’s next for you?

I’m hoping that the skills I’ve learned here will transfer to a trade or trade school. I don’t really know what I want to do yet, but I’m curious about welding, or electrical engineering, or anything related to the metal shop or woodworking.