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Vice President Ed Bonnema Celebrates 30 Years of Employment at Meyer Tool

June 19, 2019
On May 25th, Meyer Tool celebrated another of our long-term employee milestones:  Vice President of Engineering, Ed Bonnema, celebrated 30 years of employment with the company. 
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Since joining the Meyer Tool team in 1989, Ed has participated in countless prestigious projects, highlighted by: Fermilab & Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory’s Distribution Boxes for the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN, a wide variety of UHV and precision motion stages for Argonne National Laboratory’s Advanced Photon Source, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s National Ignition Facility, the Superconducting Super Collider in Texas, and almost every large project related to high energy and nuclear physics conducted by the US Department of Energy over the last 30 years.
“Through the years, Ed has contributed so much to Meyer Tool and, therefore, the world around us. Many of our long-term customers look to capture his advice before finalizing their project designs. Ed’s experience in identifying and mitigating project risk helps set even the most unique, never-been-built-before project up for success, so it works right the first time, achieving the lowest total cost of ownership,” stated Eileen Cunningham, President of Meyer Tool. She continued, “In a year that we celebrate Meyer Tool turning 50, we recognize our ability to do so is in great part due to Ed’s incredible contributions here.”
After Cunningham’s speech, Ed was presented with a certificate commemorating his milestone and a celebratory cheesecake (his favorite dessert). All eyes focused on Bonnema as he summarized his career at Meyer Tool and shared his view on the company’s outlook, “This has been a fun ride for 30 years. I’ve enjoyed solving difficult fabrication puzzles and seeing them through to completion. Today, things are really going well for Meyer Tool.  With the team we have assembled, I expect them to continue that way. At the end of the day, our company is all about figuring out ways to overcome challenges and we’ve been greatly successful at that.”

Following Ed’s remarks, he joined fellow 30+ year veterans, Assembly Technician Glenn Korecky, Welder Ed Kasper, and Machine Shop Supervisor Ken Urban for a group photo with Eileen.
As VP of Engineering, Ed oversees the engineering team. As such, he supports the design and manufacture of every Meyer Tool project.  As part of our strategic team, Ed participates in setting Company direction.  As a long-term expert, Ed mentors others throughout the organization by answering questions, sharing information, and collaborating on the most efficient and effective way to accomplish goals. His breadth of knowledge and expertise have allowed Ed’s impact to reach far beyond the Meyer Tool walls, into all the labs, universities, industrial research and development teams, and OEM customers who entrust their project success to Meyer Tool.
Bonnema holds Bachelor and Master Degrees in Mechanical Engineering from the Illinois Institute of Technology and a M.M. Degree in Business Administration from Northwestern University, Kellogg Graduate School. Bonnema is a Registered Professional Engineer in the State of Illinois and a member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and the Society of Manufacturing Engineers.
During a time when employees switch jobs more than ever before, Meyer Tool is proud to be the type of company where employees can enjoy growing their career for 30 or more years. That we have additional employees following at 25, 20, and 10 years of service is a massive accomplishment.  We truly are a learning organization where employees can be challenged for a lifetime solving various complex fabrication issues, enjoying the sense of fulfillment that accompanies seeing these designs come to life. Our strength is in our people, and Ed is a prime example.  Meyer Tool owes a great deal of thanks to Ed for his role in building the impossible!