b"vXYLEM SPOTLIGHTRon Metzger retrieving an EXO sonde fromlong-term deployment at YSI's Hydro-Met station.Ron, how did you get your start in I enjoy being on the cutting edge and pushing our mechanical engineering? industry forward, doing things that haven't been done before, inventing something, and building it Metzger: Realistically, I started in high schoolfrom the ground up. with courses in technical design and drafting. I took some of those and it seemed to fit me well.How did your career bring you to YSI, Prior to that, I was one of the people in the worldbridging your passion of engineering cursed with the ability to fix things with the environment?and I enjoyed doing it. As a kid, my friends and I always rode bikes. OfMetzger: It was a shorter commute than my course, they all would break down, and no oneprevious job. That's actually one of the reasons. had the money needed to fix them. So I quickly(Laughter) But no, the biggest reason I joined became the neighborhood mechanic becausethe YSI team was the environmental focus of the I had an inherent understanding of how thingscompany. I always joke with people that my job is work. From there, it just morphed into a talent Ito be a professional mountain biker/kayaker/trail wanted to pursue as a career.maintenance manager, but it doesn't pay well so I have to do engineering to support my family. What excites you about engineering?I loved the idea that my job would help support the What do you get passionate about? outdoors and protect the environment. That wasnt the case in my prior role in the petrochemical field. I couldnt relate to what I was doing each day on a Metzger: At the end of the day, its makinghuman level. It was a no-brainer to join a company something that didn't exist before, solvingthat made water quality equipment. For someone problems that are seemingly impossible to solve.who enjoys kayaking down clean rivers, the two tie Years ago, I received a fortune cookie with thein really well together.message, The greatest achievement is doing what someone said cant be done. To this day,Coming to work for a company with the mindset that fortune is pinned to my wall at work as aof Who's Minding the Planet?as someone constant reminder of why Im here. who was already an avid outdoors person and conservationistwas an opportunity of a lifetime that I just couldnt pass up.Whos Minding the Planet? 45"