Foreman Focus Friday: Chris Thompson

Aug 20, 2016 | Foreman Focus Friday

They say it’s the quiet ones you should watch out for – well Chris Thompson, our CAM Inputter, is no exception!

Quiet and reserved he may be, but a talented master of his trade he surely is! Chris, who transplanted here from California at the age of fourteen, has spent the last 14 years of his 25-year career facilitating the daily operation of our Hermanson shop. After graduating high school, a friend of the family involved in the trade gave Chris a tour of his company. He joined the union shortly after and the rest is history! An intellect and free spirit by nature, Chris spends his free time doing the things he loves including cooking, competing in shooting sports, and riding his motorcycle. He is also a big reader and enjoys authors such as Terry Goodkind and Tom Clancy.

Chris has touched every project that has utilized the Sheet Metal section of our shop during the last 14 years. He programs all incoming Sheet Metal work into CAM-Duct and maintains the CAD/CAM database. Ultimately, Chris is an “Improvising Specialist”. As he coordinates between detailing, the shop, and the field, he finds and implements more efficient ways to fabricate common ideas. In addition, Chris specializes in round fittings and serves as one of two regular shop foremen in charge of them.

Chris enjoys working for Hermanson because of the cohesive and supportive culture and lack of bureaucracy. One of the most significant projects to Chris was the Sabey Data Center (SDC) 42 in 2011. He recalls having to improvise and be strategic with a forklift in lieu of a crane in the shop. Although this was a big challenge, a well thought-out plan and collaboration allowed fabrication to be completed smoothly and successfully. He also enjoys drawing the CAD images for the customized fire pits that have been made for several of our clients. Not only are these fire pits different from the norm, many are also Seahawks themed! Regardless of what is being fabricated, whether a fire pit or a multi-trade rack for a large project, Chris values accuracy above everything. If he does not pay attention to details and ensure precision, this could potentially cause a snowball effect of errors through the rest of a project.

Chris’ advice to apprentices is simply “take your time.” He says that it is important to focus on doing things correctly; speed will come down the road. Great advice!


Chris’ two dogs - Kody, a 1-year old Bernese Mountain Dog, and Nina, an 8-year old American Eskimo / Pug mix. We have a feeling these two fur babies are a little spoiled!