Head over heels and cab over wheels, Matt Clearwaters discovered his passion for things mechanical at first sight of a ’56 Chevy pickup. The then 15-year-old, Hidden Valley  high school student had to have that truck. Do you know how much firewood  you have to cut to save 500 bucks? Matt bought that pickup not knowing it only had about 2 miles left in it before it broke down on the way home. It didn’t matter. He would fix it, and total it, and with some luck acquire two more, before heading up to Mt. Hood Community College for an Engineering Associate of Science Degree.

Afterward, Grants Pass seemed too “small town,” but Portland felt too crowded. Eugene was the right mix, a small-town feel with a college culture that was renewed each academic year. One important reason he wanted to stay close to home was his high school sweetheart, Chemen, married 13 years this August. Like the city of Eugene, Matt had his eye on the future, but his first employer wasn’t ready to invest in the latest 3-D modeling software. One potential employer was already there, so 4 -1/2  years ago, he made the move to Precision Machine & Manufacturing.

Today, Matt produces most of the engineering drawings for the shop. He’s in charge of all in-stock product-line drawings, material specification and purchasing, “and all the paperwork that goes with that.”

Matt also works with customers and sales reps to design and engineer custom fabrications and custom machined products. “Some customers have given us just a pencil sketch of their idea. When they see their creation represented by solids modeling, where they can virtually inspect it from every angle, they are pretty amazed.”

“The challenges and changes that come up every day, that’s what excites me,” says Matt. “Working with the shop to solve problems, one can learn a lot in that process that mixes practical with technical. It’s a mindset that works pretty well on classic pickups, too.”