VICE PRESIDENT OF DIGITAL DESIGN / CAM TECHNOLOGIES

ARCHITECTURAL CAST STONE, LLC

West Chicago, USA

I found my way to Architectural Cast Stone (ACS) in West Chicago by accident:

I was working at Streamline Automation in Calgary. As Streamline’s most recent hire, I was assembling various machines from their comprehensive CNC system, helping to prototype a new mill / wirecutter combo machine, prototyping foam samples for prospective clients, and learning the overall system inside and out, by rewriting the user guides for each machine.

Streamline sold equipment largely into the theming industry (3D billboards, large-scale sculpture, in-store displays, etc.) Their system was specifically geared to cutting expanded polystyrene (EPS) foam. That caught the attention of a well-established cast stone manufacturing company in the United States, who was looking to introduce a CNC system into their more traditional form-making workflow, using EPS foam as the basis for the molds.

I was asked to go to Chicago for a few months, to train staff on the use of their new CNC system, and to help integrate the system into their daily production. Though I have no formal concrete or mold-making experience, apart from a number of prototyping projects as a technician at the University of Alberta, I took to the work readily. When the owners found out that I was also a Rhino CAD guru, they offered me a position heading up the new department.

I think they gave me the lofty title of Vice President of Digital Design / CAM Technologies as an appeal to my vanity, as I was initially reticent to move to a new country, so far from family and friends. In reality, I’m just the technology guy. Nobody even bows before me when I get in in the morning.

I still largely enjoy my work at ACS. New projects bring new challenges, and I enjoy the mix of computer work and hands-on assembly. I also derive a great deal of pride in playing such a major role in the development of high-profile architectural projects in cities like NYC and Chicago.

I’ve worked on literally hundreds of really eye-popping projects since I’ve been here. These are just a few of them.