David Lurch, an Army veteran graduated from the ATI Maritime Welding program December 2014 and began working for Marmen Energy, in Brandon, South Dakota in January. David is building windmill towers. He said the company really takes care of their people. They assisted him in relocating and helped him find a place to live and he recently purchased a new home. David said, “I really enjoy living in South Dakota, the people are friendly and the hunting and fishing is great!” The county does a great job of clearing roads in the winter and it is pretty easy to get around”.
David grew up in Northern Virginia but he doesn’t mind the South Dakota winters. A big plus, the cost of living is much less than Virginia Beach. David is welding five days a week and is off for four days. All the work is done indoors. He said there are now four people from Virginia Beach working at Marmen Energy. Two are from local shipyards. Marmen Energy likes to hire veterans and many of the employees are vets. David said, “I really enjoying working for Marmen, and hope to be here for a long time.”
Article by: Kirk Clayton, Campus Director of Career Services
