Shanen Aranmór  |  Weld Like a Girl

Shanen Aranmór, MS, CWI/CWE, a strong advocate of the skilled trades, has devoted the last decade to building interest and credibility for American manufacturing and fabrication. Former college professor of wellness turned administrator, Shanen realized she wasn’t meant to push papers thus returned to school to earn degrees in welding and industrial technology. Shanen is an educator, inspirational life coach, Certified Welding Inspector/Educator and national/international presenter who guides people of all walks (so far, as old as 5 years & as young as 88) to realize their inner badass through welding either with fabrication, sculpture, community projects or otherwise. Wielding a MIG gun, TIG torch, power hammer or laser welder, Shanen loves all things metal.

Shanen enjoyed being the Western Regional Trainer for Miller Electric for six years. In 2017, she founded Weld Like A Girl™ offering classes to the public, large-scale welding projects to benefit the community and welder qualification services. Recently, Weld Like A Girl earned the Better Business Bureau Torch Award for Ethics and Shanen earned the 2023 Dalton E. Hamilton Memorial CWI of the Year District & Section Awards, as well as the US Small Business Association Arizona Women in Business Champion Award. Despite all that fancy sounding stuff, she still mentors interns ranging in age from a 14-year-old high schooler to an 83-year-old Vietnam vet (shot down three times).

A member of Project MFG, Shanen is part of a team backed by the US Department of Defense promoting manufacturing, inspiring youth and elevating trades to address our skilled trades crisis. As lead CWI, she helps grant cash awards in excess of $200K as featured on YouTube’s Clash of Trades.

Michael Lang  |  Bilfinger North America

Michael Lang is the Quality Director for Bilfinger North America, and an industry recognized Senior Fellow in Self Perform Construction and Welding. He provides comprehensive quality support across all business lines serving the home offices, projects, and fabrication facilities. His background as a Senior Manager/ Superintendent, Educator, AWS/CWI/CWE, and 38+ years United Association Pipefitter/Welder gives him solid ground-up experience. His advice and implementation of more efficient quality processes have consistently delivered increased safety, quality, and value.

He also has over 30 years of industry standards committee involvement with AWS D10 (Chairman), D18, and the AWS Technical Activities Committee (TAC). He is also involved with The Energy Facility Contractors Group (EFCOG) as a task group leader developing a position paper on subcontractor quality control for welding, active in the ASME BPVC Committee Section III, VIII, and IX, and a member of the API 582 Committee on Welding Guidelines for the Chemical, Oil, and Gas Industries. He is a recognized Senior Fellow in the Industry, frequent speaker and published on several occasions on topics from these committees and a principal or contributing author to many industry publications.

Gary Lewis  |  Lewis Reliability Resources

Gary is a 1982 Industrial Engineering Graduate from Georgia Tech in Atlanta, Georgia. He began his career in the Air Compressor Group of Ingersoll-Rand Company, developing and providing engineered equipment solutions to Industrial Owners and Contractors around the world.

Mr. Lewis joined Miller Electric in 2000 as the Director of Business Development, to help establish and launch a new business, focusing on customer driven Welding and integrated product solutions, including a revolutionary introduction of induction heating technology for field heat treatment. In 2006 Gary joined Superheat FGH, as Global Director of Business Development and Innovation; collaborating with Industry experts, Power Companies, Refiners, Engineering Contractors, and Fabricators to revolutionize and improve Quality and Awareness of Field Heat Treatment as an essential variable in welding and life management strategies.

As President of Lewis Reliability Resources, he is now connecting Technical Resources in Engineering, Welding, Material Science and NDE to Energy Owners, Contractors and Fabricators where knowledge, expertise and resources are diminishing to retirement, restructuring, downsizing and lost knowledge. Gary is a member of AWS, ASME, ASM and the Institute of Industrial Engineers.

Scott Witkowski  |  Republic Testing Laboratories, Inc.

Scott Witkowski is currently the Vice President of Republic Testing Laboratories. He has 30 years of experience in welding industry. He was the President & Founder of Maverick Testing Laboratories, the largest Independent Welder & Materials Testing Laboratory in the United States. Scott is a member of the following associations American Welding Society (AWS), ASME and API.

John Stoll

Mr. Stoll has recently retired from ARC Specialties. He previously served as an application engineer, and strategic accounts manager, for voestalpine Bohler Welding North America, after working for Lincoln Electric-Metrode Products Ltd. for 27 years.

His extensive experience in our industry includes assisting many varied companies in purchasing their fabrication equipment, as well as the development and implementation of their welding procedures and practices.

He is a life member of the American Welding Society (AWS) with 49 years of continuing service and has served as AWS District 18 Director. He was elected and served on the Executive Committee of the AWS Board of Directors in 2016. He has served on the advisory boards for both San Jacinto College and Tulsa Welding School (Houston campus). He was a past judge for the Houston Livestock Show’s Ag-Mechanics contest for 23 years.

He developed, produced, and conducted at least two Welding Symposiums per year, during the past twenty years. These Symposiums included some of our industry’s leading authorities sharing their experience and wisdom pertaining to the betterment of our welding industry.