Lyford’s recent appointment to RRVTMA board president represents a full-circle moment in his career. The RRVTMA is a local chapter of the National Tooling & Machining Association (NTMA), serving area manufacturers through networking, training resources, and apprenticeship pathways. “The purpose of the chapter is to organize local manufacturers to get the membership perks of the NTMA and more… one of the main things we provide is training and apprenticeship tracks for people within manufacturing.”

The association offers a four-year precision machining apprenticeship with 8,000 hours of on-the-job training for gear manufacturing or a 10,000-hour tool and die track, and includes 160 hours of coursework through a partnership with Rock Valley College. Successful apprentices earn not only state credentials but federal recognition: RRVTMA apprenticeships are accredited by the Department of Labor, meaning graduates are officially indentured journeymen in the trade.  Lyford now leads the organization he once went through himself. “My initial ideas are to continue the work the board has started and provide ongoing strategic direction to improve member value—as well as the quality of output for the apprentices—to maintain or provide more offerings.”