SSAI In The News

James Forney is "up to bat" as our next SSAI Spotlight feature! He is a Maryland native, growing up in Baltimore City. He enjoyed playing various sports and had childhood hopes to be a professional baseball player. He has a long list of hobbies and is a self-described tinkerer who likes to get in and see how things work. Take a minute to get to know a little about James! 

What did you want to be when you were a kid?
It was a tie – a catcher in the major leagues, a linebacker in the NFL, or a race car driver!! It was too expensive to build a race car and I lacked any talent to play any professional sports so... 

Where did you go to school? 
Mervo Tech Hi School 

What extracurriculars were you involved with during school? 
Football and tennis (how’s that for diversity?) 

Did you have a summer job while in high school or college? 
A counselor at a reading camp for kids. It was a de facto summer school for kids but I enjoyed it quite a bit and really ended up bonding with the kids. 

What is your current role at work? 
Test circuit designer, PCB fabrication, radiation effects facility operator, hardware fabrication/, and lab manager. 

What excites you most about your work?  
Successful project and task accomplishments, constantly learning, and working with good people. 

What excites you about supporting our customers? 
The satisfaction of gaining their trust and knowing they can depend on me. 

What is your favorite hobby? 
Favorite hobby depends on what day of the week it is, the list is endless – electronics, computers, retro gaming, 3D printing, aquariums, etc. I’m a notorious tinkerer, or, in other words I’m an expert at fixing things that are not broken. 

Do you collect anything? 
Classic movies and TV shows. 

Tell us a little about your family and/or pets. 
I'm single and from a loving family. I’m more of a cat person; a dog takes way too long to housebreak, whereas a cat takes about 10 minutes. 

What is the best piece of advice you ever received? 
Take care of your health first, everything else will fall into place. 

What got you on the path to where you are now? 
Being kind and considerate to others as much as possible. 

What is your life philosophy? 
“Kill ‘em with Kindness.” 

What is your favorite book or movie? 
Favorite movie: A Few Good Men. I’m still waiting to read my favorite book. 

What amazing thing did you do that no one was around to see? 
Correctly guessed nearly every answer on an episode of Jeopardy. 

Is there anything you have tried that you will never do again? 
Golf! 

What question would you most like to know the answer to? 
How are the Kardashians billionaires? 

What’s the best compliment you’ve received? 
“You’ve lost weight!”  The compliment was immediately followed by a request for a loan so… 

What is the most important lesson you feel you’ve learned? 
Hard work really does pay off! 

Who or what inspires you? 
Anyone who succeeds in their given field as a result of their hard work.

What makes you smile when you’re having a bad day? 
Hearing the phrase, “We’re done, it’s time to go home.” 

What’s the strangest thing you have ever come across? 
3D billboards (look it up on YouTube.) 

If you could time travel, what time-period would be the first you’d want to visit? 
The future; the technology should be amazing! 

Do you have pets? 
Right now, just fish but I’m about to adopt a couple of cats and, if I’m feeling brave, maybe a puppy! 

What’s your most repeated movie quote or phrase?
“Say hello to my lil’ friend.” 

What is something you feel is underrated? 
Ringo Starr  

What fictional place would you most like to go? 
Mayberry

What’s the luckiest thing that has ever happened to you?  
Got a letter from the IRS, expecting an audit, but instead it was a check for overpayment of taxes. 

Do you have a strategy for the apocalypse? 
Yup, get a front row seat and hope it’s over quickly! 

What is the most interesting fact you know?  
The person in front of you at the checkout line will always require a lengthy price check.