Eric Harrop
This month’s employee spotlight features Eric Harrop, a Machinist at Rainhouse. Eric joined the Rainhouse team to continue growing his passion for hands-on experience. He is an adventurous, energetic, multifaceted, adrenaline seeker.
We asked Eric a few questions for you to get to know him better, and here is what he had to say.
What do you do at Rainhouse?
I find it difficult to describe what I do at Rainhouse in one word or a short sentence. So, I came up with the following list:
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- Machinist,
- Mechanical design consultant,
- Safety committee member,
- Robot babysitter,
- Shop floor machining procedure & fusion 360 consultant.
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What do you enjoy most about working at Rainhouse?
What I enjoy the most about what I do is being able to utilize my combined mechanical design, machining, and fabrication background during the design process. During my studies at UVic especially, I found what excited me the most was being able to take something from a thought in my head right through to design, machining, and final assembly.
What is your favourite aspect of machine manufacturing?
My favourite aspect of machine manufacturing is the process of taking a drawing on a page or a model on a screen, that was once simply a thought in someone’s head, and being able to visualize and think through the process of how best to bring a given part to fruition.
What is something most people do not know about you?
I’m not actually a machinist. Although I plan to challenge the exam and pursue certification, I am a UVic Alumni with a degree in mechanical engineering. I have always loved the hands-on side of the field, and throughout my degree and personal time, I was able to do a lot of machining and fabrication work.
What is the ONE THING you cannot live without?
I cannot live without racing door-to-door with my friends and the smell of tire smoke coming off my drift on a Friday night under the lights at our local racetrack: Western Speedway.
Eric wanted to share more about his favourite past-times and hobbies. It is fair to say that now we know who will be the chef at the next Rainhouse barbeque.
He truly enjoys barbequing and cooking for friends and family!! Eric is extra popular in the summer and spends most weekends busy hosting friends for backyard bbq-ing and hanging out around a fire pit. In the summertime, his car competes with his pellet smoker as he can often be found hovering over it making his specialty: pork ribs cooked to perfection!
Throughout the year he likes to be active during evenings and weekends. He has a different sport on the go just about every month of the year. During the winter and fall, he plays indoor/outdoor soccer and indoor volleyball. During the spring and summer, he plays grass-league volleyball, golf, and slow-pitch baseball.