Candidate: Richard Gray

Lake Padgett Estates ISD I am Richard Gray, an active resident in Lake Padgett Estates since 1998. I have been married for 49 years and have 4 adult children,6 grandchildren, and 1 greatgrandson. I like family activities, especially outdoors. Golf and fishing are my favorite sports and woodworking is my hobby. I graduated highschool in 1953 and promptly moved to Chicago to become a Tool & Die Apprentice. Over the ensuing years I became shop foreman, Supervisor of Apprentices, an instructor for the Illinois Tool & Die Apprenticeship program, and finally - Plant Superintendant. In 1969 we moved to Mosinee, Wisconsin where I established my own Tool & Die Making Business. In 1976 I sold my business to my best customer and went along to run it. By time I left and moved to Tampa, in 1989, the tool room had grown to service six other divisions in Wausau,Wisconsin.I had also self-tutored myself and passed the exam to become a Certified Manufacturing Engineer. As a member of the Society of Manufacturing Engineers I progressed through the Chairs to finally become the SME Chapter Chairman. Soon after starting work in Tampa I joined the Tampa Bay Suncoast Chapter of the SME. I again went through the Societie\'s Chairs and followed that with becoming active in the three state SME Region One. I was Region Chairman for the Y2K millenium. My background, as a manager and specifically of facility maintenance will be a valuable asset for the responsibilities on the ISD Board.