Engineering Week Spotlight: Jon Currier

Great Plains Industries has had the pleasure of employing Jon Currier for 15 years. In that time, he has developed design concepts for new products and prototypes, as well as testing and determining cost feasibility. He works closely with the production line, helping address issues they may be having, overseeing initial production builds and typically remains involved with the product for years after it is built and in production.

Jon has five kids, so he stays very busy. In the summer he enjoys outdoor activities like riding bikes and going to the pool. A guitar enthusiast, he owns 7 guitars and has played for over 40 years. He has a large collection of Legos – a common theme among engineers, it seems – and would have loved to have worked for Lego or Mattel as a toy designer.

Some of Jon’s proudest accomplishments are:

• 9 U.S. patents granted
• 162 injection molded parts that went into production
• A highest single tooling expenditure on a design of $750,000 – an anxiety inducing investment for an engineer 3 years into his career
• Highest annual production for a single product design (units sold per year): 1,000,000+ over 5-6 years (this was the same product that cost $750,000 to tool up)

Over his 25+ year career, Jon has seen many things change in the field, from software to 3D printing. Not only has the quality got better, but it is much cheaper too.

He appreciates the family-based culture at Great Plains Industries and the ability to bounce ideas off other people. To observe the engineers here is to be amused by their lighthearted banter. And though Jon may be one of the quieter engineers, he’s sneaky funny and sometimes will catch you off-guard with a joke as he makes a quick exit.

We are grateful to have you, Jon!