Steelworker Apollo Gibbs and his wife Maria, a survivor of domestic violence, found unexpected inspiration through the ICD program. Their journey began with a ceramic tile class, where they discovered a shared passion for learning and renovating...
Bianca Mitchell remembers hearing about ICD at new hire orientation. “My antennas went up,” the USW Local 1013 member said. “(ICD coordinator) Rachel (Key) explained how it worked, and the first thing I thought was – this is right up my alley...
In Frank Bystrzak’s family, being a Steelworker is a tradition. He proudly took up the reins after high school and joined USW Local 135L in Buffalo. “I never really knew what I wanted to be, and joining my family at the plant was the right path at the time...
Braden Fiske is blue collar to the bone. The son of a Steelworker, Fiske will be hearing his name this week at the 2024 NFL Draft. It’s not a matter of if, it’s a matter of when. It’s been an inspiring story for the Fiske family, where USW Local 1011...
No time for ICD classes? Ruth Bussey says hold my hard hat. The USW Local 1066 member is not only a jack of all trades, but also a master of all, and she does it one class at a time. Bussey’s ICD journey started 17 years ago with a welding class an...
Jason Bahus wanted to take his career to a higher level. So he spread his wings using his ICD benefit. The USW Local 1066 member and maintenance technician at US Steel-Gary Works earned his private pilot’s license through ICD and now leads the drone pr...
Noah Bazil is a chip off the old block. The Chesterton (Ind.) High School senior patterns himself off his Steelworker dad, Joe Bazil, who has been at USW Local 1014 for 28 years. Joe has used the ICD benefit to earn both his bachelor’s and master’s degr...
Scott Penman had one vision: he wanted to be an electrician. He wanted to be an electrician so bad at Sumitomo Rubber in Buffalo, he went after it. The blue collar way. A tire builder for over 13 years at the plant, the determined Penman went after his..
Robert Andrews doesn’t have a nickname, but Mr. 2,000 might be fitting. A member of USW Local 959 in Fayetteville, North Carolina, Andrews was recently honored at his learning center by taking more than 2,000 hours-worth of ICD classes. “I had no idea...
Tonya Fisher always has the wheels spinning. Whether it’s at work at the Goodyear tire plant in Topeka, Kansas or in her brilliant mind as an inventor. The wheels are constantly moving. Fisher, a 29-year tire builder for Goodyear at USW Local 307, has...
Jack Barr is a Steelworker and U.S. Army Veteran. He’s also keeping it reel. Literally. Barr, a 30-year Steelworker at USW Local 7139-05 in Washington, Pennsylvania, took advantage of his ICD benefit to start up his own fly fishing business – Raise the...
Kyle Lamppa is a ‘master’ at multi-tasking. There’s no other way to describe it. Lamppa is the training coordinator at USW Local 6115, the ICD coordinator at Cleveland-Cliffs in Virginia, Minnesota, and a father of four who coaches his kids in basketball...
Joel Hill isn’t afraid of learning. He’s also not frightened by success. But he’s definitely ‘creeping’ it real. Hill, a 22-year Steelworker out of USW Local 1011, has created a side business that literally started as a haunted house in his garage...
Todd Beck turned a hobby into a second career, thanks to taking advantage of his ICD benefit. Beck, a member of USW Local 307 at Goodyear-Topeka, always loved tinkering around with recreational vehicles. His love for RVs and his passion for learning...
Joe Magura was a Steelworker to the core. He loved his family and his friends. He also loved the ICD program. “After my mom died (in 2000) those classes and those guys were everything to him,” Joe’s daughter, Deanna Fuehne said. “They kept him alive...
