How did you come to work at Draper?
I started as a temp through an agency. July will be my fourth anniversary here at Draper.

Have you always worked in manufacturing? I have worked in various manufacturing roles since I was 21. I worked first as a CNC machine operator making car parts. Then later on, I worked as a braider manufacturing medical tubes for a company in western Rhode Island.

What projects are you most excited about?
New colors – I love the challenge of color matching. I learned a lot from Gary, the previous dye house supervisor of 30+ years, in a very short period of time. I soaked up every bit of information I could from him and now I’m here doing it! Working with fabric is different than the materials on any other job I’ve had. Fabric is so flexible, while the other materials for the other types of manufacturing I’ve done were very dense. I’m really looking forward to trying new dyes and continuing to learn as much as I can about the dyeing processes for each fabric.

Which part of the manufacturing process have you found the most interesting?
When you’re dyeing fabric, you have to follow a specific formula and complete the steps in a certain order. The attention to detail and keeps me busy and I like to be busy!

What do you do when you’re not at work?
I have a 9 year old son, so I like to spend time with him playing video games and basketball. I also like to cook – stuffed shells are my specialty.