Different Generations, Same Passion for the Trade

What does a career in CNC machining look like?

At 110 Metalworks, Don Clark and Chloe Bonoffski offer two very different perspectives.

Don has worked in CNC machining for 43 years – more than 37 of them with 110 Metalworks. Chloe is a CNC Machinist in the fourth year of her apprenticeship and joined our team during her third.

Their paths started differently, but with something in common: neither wanted to sit behind a desk.

Don grew up around farms, cars and machinery. He took Machine Trades through BOCES in high school, started as a machinist and eventually moved into CNC programming because he saw opportunities to make things better.

After 43 years, what keeps him interested?

“I’m still learning.”

For Chloe, the spark came on a Bring Your Daughter to Work Day. Her dad helped build machinery, and one machine she remembers actually dispensed candy. Growing up around farming herself, she also enjoyed working with her hands.

PTECH introduced her to machining, an Advanced Metals course through BOCES helped confirm her direction, and a summer internship after graduation led to an apprenticeship.

Today, Chloe says one of the things she loves most is:

“Creating something out of a block of metal that matters.”

She enjoys learning CNC programming, seeing a finished part take shape and being part of solving problems at the machine.

Despite being at very different points in their careers, Don and Chloe agree on something else: the people you work with matter.

Don describes it as being somewhere you’re not just an employee number expected to hit a quota, but part of a team that helps each other learn and grow.

For Chloe, having teammates willing to invest their time in coaching, teaching and supporting her has become an important part of building the career she wants.

43 years in or four years into an apprenticeship, there is always something new to learn, another problem to solve and another opportunity to grow.

We’re grateful to have both Don and Chloe as part of the 110 Metalworks team.