About

About WBTO

A Corbett, Oregon consulting practice working where manufacturing, education, and workforce development meet.

What we are

WBTO, LLC works where manufacturing, education, and workforce development meet. Everything we do is done as part of regional teams: workforce boards, ESDs, community colleges, STEM partnerships, and the employers themselves. Our job is the measurement and the engineering that helps those partnerships act.

Founder

Chris Holden is a manufacturing engineer and the former training director at OMIC Training, the Oregon Manufacturing Innovation Center campus in Scappoose. He owned KCR Manufacturing for over a decade, where the company designed and manufactured firefighting equipment, and served as vice president and general manager at Willamette Pattern Works. He received the Career and Technical Education Promising Practices Award from the Oregon Association for Career and Technical Education. [Chris to verify every phrase; the bio rule is his own wording only.]

The name

Some people ask why we picked “We Boil the Ocean.” When the idea of combining educators and industry professionals to build CTE programs was first shared, the answer was that it would be impossible, easier to boil the ocean. The naysayers gave us our name. Our students, our schools, and our manufacturing economy are worth the effort.

The team

[Roster, roles, order, and sixty-word bios are Chris's decision, due October 3. Until then this is the Wix roster, unchanged.]

Chris Holden

Founder & Principal Consultant

Chris Holden is an experienced CEO and consultant with a passion for education and training in the manufacturing industry. He is the CEO of WBTO, LLC, a leading technical support services provider for the manufacturing and education sectors in the Pacific Northwest. With over a decade of experience as the owner of KCR Manufacturing, where he designed and manufactured firefighting equipment and provided specialized manufacturing services, and his time serving in various roles at Willamette Pattern Works, Inc., including Vice President and General Manager, Chris brings a wealth of experience to WBTO. Chris has received the Career and Technical Education Promising Practices Award from the Oregon Association for Career and Technical Education.

Carol Egan

Education Expert

Carol Egan brings over 30 years of experience in K-18 systems as a teacher and district leader. She is a visionary and a “get things done” type of education coach, mentor, and advocate for students and school staff. Her innovation in education creates authentic learning experiences that prepare students for careers and college. As Director of the Center for Advanced Learning, she expanded CTE programs, summer camps, business partnerships, and industry-specific internships, while also receiving multiple grants. Carol is passionate about creating an educational environment that empowers students and teachers while encouraging their growth.

Ashley Schaer

Fractional COO & Workforce Readiness

Ashley Schaer serves as WBTO's Fractional Chief Operating Officer. Her expertise in business management and leadership development is essential in promoting manufacturing education and workforce development in the Pacific Northwest. Ashley provides our workforce readiness training to ensure students are prepared with the interpersonal skills needed by industry. She works collaboratively with multiple community partners, analyzes and evaluates practices, and makes recommendations to improve processes and procedures.

Wayne Ikola

Industry Partnerships

Wayne Ikola is a seasoned manufacturing professional, employer partnerships specialist, and relationship builder with 37 years of experience at Cascade Corporation, starting in his father's machine shop. Wayne brings deep knowledge in production management, quality management, and process improvement. His role involves developing employer partnerships, expanding student opportunities in manufacturing, and building connections with his vast network. He has also served on advisory committees at MHCC.

Brad Scott

Industry Partnerships

Brad Scott has 45 years of experience in the Investment Casting Industry, having held positions including Engineering Program Manager and Rapid Prototyping Team Manager. He has worked with global customers in aerospace, medical, land-based gas turbine engines, and pump/compressor industries, gaining valuable insight into employers' needs and next-generation skills. At WBTO, Brad builds employer partnerships and aligns programs with industry standards, expanding opportunities for students.

Sean Squires

CTE Instructor Training & Support

Sean Squires specializes in providing technical support and training to CTE instructors, with over 25 years of experience in the manufacturing industry. Starting at Viking Industries after attending MHCC for electrical engineering, Sean later worked at Freightliner and Jones Heavy Equipment, earning his AAS in machine tool technology in 1998. He rose from machinist assistant to CNC machine programmer at Cascade Corporation, earned his BAS in business administration in 2014, and recently retired from Cascade after 25 years of service.

Brandon Roberts

Fractional CFO

Brandon serves as WBTO's Fractional CFO, providing financial oversight built on extensive experience in accounting and financial management. With expertise in managing accounting operations, analyzing financial data, and developing budgets and projections, Brandon helps ensure WBTO has a sound financial footing to carry out its mission of promoting manufacturing education and workforce development in the Pacific Northwest.

Cassandra Chilson

Accounting Expert

Cassandra Chilson is a skilled tax preparer and bookkeeper with extensive experience in payroll, tax preparation, and bookkeeping. She has worked for several accounting firms, including Neumann Curtis CPAs and Fischer, Hayes, Joye & Allen LLC, and currently runs her own bookkeeping business, Bravura Bookkeeping. Her expertise supports WBTO's efforts to improve manufacturing education and workforce development in the Pacific Northwest.

Tom Sage

Engineering Consultant

Tom Sage is a highly experienced consulting engineer and owner of Sage Machine Design with over 24 years in the field. He has provided expertise to companies including Metalcraft Fabrication and Premier Gear and Machine Works, been a member/partner of KCR Manufacturing, and an engineer at the Rokenbok Toy Company. Tom supports WBTO through engineering projects and repairing equipment in high school manufacturing programs.

Anthony Deblock

Manufacturing Consultant

Anthony Deblock is an experienced manufacturing professional with a passion for CNC programming and production supervision. He has held key positions at KCR Manufacturing, Willamette Pattern Works, and WATERAX. As President of Deblock Manufacturing and CNC Programmer at Rantech, Anthony has deep expertise in Mastercam and Fusion 360. At WBTO, he provides equipment repair, project development, technical support, and curriculum development.

Brent Thompson

CNC Service & Repair

Brent Thompson owns Northwest CNC Service & Repair, providing CNC maintenance, service, and repair. He previously served as a Service Engineer at Selway Machine Tool Company and as a Machine Shop Supervisor at Haas Automation for over 14 years. Brent supports WBTO's mission by repairing machine tools and manufacturing equipment in high schools and partner employers throughout the Pacific Northwest.

Ricardo Gonzalez

CNC Machinist & Program Facilitator

Ricardo Gonzalez, an experienced CNC machinist and manufacturing engineer in the aerospace and commercial machining industries for over a decade, joined WBTO as a program facilitator and CNC mentor. He teaches high school students the basics of manufacturing engineering and CNC machining, focusing on CAD/CAM work, SolidWorks, and G&M code, including reading and writing G&M code by hand. He collaborated with a robotics and AR/VR team on a project to create a 3D camera mount for an RC car.