18 | Saturday, October 18, 2025 Elk River Star News
Zimmerman senior finds his future in machining
With guidance from a CTE teacher and a handson internship, Dan Willis turns classroom skills into a career path in manufacturing
BY JIM BOYLE Editor
Dan Willis has taken up disc golf as a hobby. He bought discs, joined a league, and ever since he scored his first ace, success and enjoyment have followed.
It’ s a bit like the satisfaction he found this past summer when he turned raw pieces of metal into components for automated and medical equipment at a machine shop in Ramsey.
“ It’ s cool to see the transformation from the block to the finished product— especially when you check the parameters and they’ re good,” Willis said.“ It’ s quite a sense of accomplishment.”
What started as a parttime job has become a potential career path— one that has Willis saving for a house and feeling confident about his future.
A PUSH IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION
Left to figure things out on his own, Willis said he might not have had the courage at 16 to apply for an internship at a machine shop. There were plenty of less intimidating high school jobs he could have chosen.
But with help from Zimmerman High School career and technical education teacher Zach Voss, he landed an internship at B & H Machining in Ramsey. Since then, he’ s proven himself as a valuable parttime employee— and a strong candidate for fulltime work after graduation in June 2026.
“ I plan on staying here at this company for a while, and I’ m definitely going to stay in machining for a career,” Willis said.“ I’ ll be learning the trade here unless I get offered a scholarship or a paid internship somewhere else.”
LEARNING BY DOING
At first, Willis thought he might want to pursue welding, but Voss encouraged him to explore machining— a trade familiar to Willis’ stepfather, who also works in the field.
During the school year, Willis worked three-hour shifts, five days a week. Early on, the tasks were basic— the kind assigned to the lowest person on the totem pole, said Tait Peterson, Willis’ supervisor at B & H Machining.
Those who stick with it, Peterson said, can quickly move up to running CNC( computer numerical control) machines and producing parts that help the company thrive.
Peterson called the partnership with ISD 728 schools a win-win: students gain valuable career experience, and the business gets help with everyday shop tasks.
“ One of the first students we had from Zimmerman High School still works here full time,” Peterson said.“ Daniel’ s one of two interns we’ ve hired from Zimmerman, and we just added two more from Rogers High School.”
This past summer, Willis worked full time— 45 hours a week— at B & H Machining. He saved more than $ 10,000, money he hopes to put toward his first home.
His strong work ethic and ability to learn more complex CNC operations gave the shop a production boost, Peterson said.
Now back to part-time work during the school year, Willis already has a job waiting for him after graduation.
PARTNERSHIPS THAT PAY OFF
B & H Machining, which Peterson’ s father opened in 2014, has grown from a 500-square-foot operation
SUBMITTED PHOTO
What started as a part-time job through a work-based learning program has become a potential career path— one that has Zimmerman High School senior Dan Willis saving for a house and feeling confident about his future.
with two CNC machines to a 25,000-square-foot facility with about 25 employees.
“ We doubled our size last summer,” Peterson said,“ which was made possible by moving into new, larger quarters in 2020.”
Peterson met Voss at a job fair at Anoka Technical
College while looking for potential machinists. Voss told him about the district’ s CTE internship program— the highest level of work-based learning offered through Elk River Area Schools.
Voss now checks in with Peterson twice a year for progress updates on student interns. Willis consistently earns high marks.
“ It gives me a sense of pride knowing our program is working,” Voss said.“ When you get into teaching, you hope to make an impact on kids, and you hope they take something from your class.”
Willis went from a student who enjoyed shop classes like woods and small engines to one who knows he wants to be a machinist after high school.
See WORK-BASED LEARNING | PAGE 22