Teledyne Hastings Instruments Blog

Time for another blog in our “Employee Spotlight Series”. This time we will meet Lawrence Ferbee. “Ferbee” is part of our awesome stockroom crew. He is primarily responsible for receiving products. But you can often find him at the stockroom window helping an employee with inventory. He also will, on occasion, help with our marketing projects. He has done live drawings for product videos as well as create cartoon characters for HR.

Let’s get to know him better.

Tell us about your start at Teledyne

I have been here since 2015. Prior to Teledyne Hastings, I worked in a similar role at Jefferson Lab (Department of Energy) in nearby Newport News Virginia. I knew a couple of managers that worked at Teledyne and when they told me about the position here, I jumped at the chance to get started.

Many folks here at the plant know you for your drawings.  How did you get involved in art and design?

I started drawing when I was six years old or so. I was an only child and doing art was a way for me to occupy my time. My art projects sort of kept me company. I am self-taught and I always enjoy seeing other things that artists are creating and sometimes, they inspire me.

We have always enjoyed the Holiday Cards you’ve helped to create as well as the giant chalk drawings. Is there a particular art piece that you are most proud of?

After thinking about it, I’m proud of all my works because people were happy with them. But I am working on something new that I’m very proud of because it involves that community that I grew up in.

Here are some examples of the work he has done for Hastings.

What will he draw for us this year?  Put your ideas / suggestions in the comment box below

Whose artwork has had the biggest influence on you?

I grew up watching Hanna-Barbera action cartoons like Johnny-Quest and Space Ghost. When I was a kid, I really hoped to get a job with them. As I got older, I became more into comic books. Jim Lee is still one of my favorites.

What is your favorite part of working here at Teledyne Hastings?

I like the fact that I know everybody here and we have a family environment. I enjoy supporting people and, in my role in the Stockroom, I put my hands on almost everything that comes into the building.

To learn more about Teledyne Hastings and the products we make, visit our website or click below. 

In the second blog of our “Employee Spotlight” series, we focus on one of our engineers, Josh Settle. Josh works to design, test, and implement the electronics for our new products. In addition, he is a valuable resource to our production teams. He is also a member of our Quality System’s Internal Audit Team.

 Let’s ask Joshua some questions to get to know him better.

Let’s start with a history of your time here at Teledyne
I started summer 2014 as an electrical engineering intern. I didn’t know if I would get the internship, so I picked up another part time job as a lifeguard. I landed the internship later and kept working both. I put in 40 hours at Hastings during the week and 10-16 hours at the Mt. Trashmore Family YMCA on the weekend.

At Hastings I really enjoyed the people I worked with (I still do), and I am thankful for the ways they have invested in me (they still do). I interned again summer 2015 and came back month after undergrad to work full-time. My full-time start date was June 6, 2016. I celebrate 7 years with Hastings this summer.

Tell us a little about your educational background
I completed my Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering (mathematics minor) Magna Cum Laude from Virginia Tech in May 2016. That autumn, I immediately began working on my Master of Engineering Degree (Electrical and Computer concentration) at Old Dominion University while working full time. I finished my second degree in the spring of 2022. 

As far as concentrations go, I have always enjoyed mathematics for its brutal objectivity, intense precision, and its numerous tools used to help people observe reality and make meaningful changes.

 I also enjoy transmission line theory, an arcane field where material properties, geometry, circuit analysis, and electromagnetics all converge. I’m particularly interested in microstrip line distributed element filters (see the Distributed-element filter Wikipedia page). This subject has interesting applications because of its similarity to traces on a circuit board. As part of my second degree, I developed a python program that calculates the dimensions of one of these filters based on user input frequency characteristics and compared my program to a professional software package.

What do you do here at Teledyne Hastings?
Short Answer: I solve as many problems as I can, learn from failure, and try to acquire useful skills along the way.

Long Answer: I help the engineering department meet long term goals especially with respect to new product development. I also help with production, repair, quality, tooling, and training needs.

I do everything from working on production benches, configuring tests, interpreting data, leading or supporting internal audits, assisting with technical documentation needs (drawings work instructions, procedures), or even being a liaison between multiple departments (production and sales, production and other engineers).

What are some of your outside interests?
I enjoy fitness, videogames, pizza, and red wine (dark, full-bodied, and dry).

Quote that we might use from you?
“Think things through. Consider the extremes. Speak carefully. Challenge your assumptions. Relax, and don’t be afraid to say, “I don’t know” or ask for help.

To learn more about Teledyne Hastings and the products we make, visit our website or click below. 

We are starting a new blog series where we will introduce you to some of the key employees here at Teledyne Hastings. Our first blog in this series will focus on our domestic sales manager, Will Harrison.

In addition to being domestic sales manager, Will works as a sales application engineer ensuring that customers select the best flow or vacuum product for their application/system. Will also works with our USA channel partners and keeps them informed of the latest products and markets for Teledyne Hastings’ products and services. Will has been with Teledyne for over thirty-five years.

 Let’s ask Will some questions to get to know him better.

• How did you start working at Teledyne Hastings? 
  I had a close friend that worked here who mentioned the expanding sales team was looking to hire a new sales application engineer. It seemed to happen very fast … I applied, was interviewed, and was hired in less than two weeks.

• What is a typical day like for you?
  I am always available for customer phone calls. I enjoy hearing about new opportunities or helping customers improve an existing vacuum or flow application. When not on the phone, you might find me generating a quote for a customer or helping out one of our USA sales channel partners. I also travel with our distributors as we look for new opportunities for Teledyne Hastings.

• Let’s follow up on that, where is one of your favorite places where you have for traveled for work?
  The best place I ever traveled was Vancouver BC. Vancouver is a neat place to venture out, see the sites, and enjoy great food. Our distributor drove us up to see Whistler, which was awesome! At the time, that area had a few startup companies focused on the fuel cell industry and our mass flow meters and controllers were enjoying great success.

• Outside of work, what is it that you like to do?
  I like to run and bike when time permits. I like to do half marathons and full marathons. I’ve even completed a full “ironman” triathlon. I also enjoy Old Dominion University (ODU) sports where I got my degree. The Lady Monarchs won back-to-back national titles in women’s basketball (1979, 1980) before the NCAA became involved. The excitement from the crowds at the ODU sporting events is great.
  
  

• What is one part of the job that you find rewarding? 
  I enjoy working with our sales channel partners and customers to provide solutions for a wide variety of applications. I also enjoy working with my colleagues on the sales team and other members of the Teledyne Hastings Team.

In this series, we hope that every reader will be able to learn a little more about the employees they interact with here at Teledyne Hastings. If you call for support or sales, we all have a story and we would like to share that story with you.  Visit  https://info.teledyne-hi.com/blog to read more about our vacuum gauges and mass flow meters and mass flow controllers. (And look for future postings about Teledyne Hastings’ employees.)

Will Harrison (right) after finishing the 2022 Honolulu Marathon. Brother Glen is on the left.

To learn more about Teledyne Hastings and the products we make, visit our website or click below.