Engineering, business foundations equipped Zeb Domer for leadership

After working for a custom tool manufacturer for two years through a high school apprenticeship program, Zeb Domer knew he wanted to continue doing hands-on work and learning.

That desire led him to Trine University and its design engineering technology (DET) program.

“My boss (in high school) had actually gone for DET,” he said. “I enjoyed Solidworks and the mechanical types of work, so that really drove me to being a DET.”

Once at Trine, he benefited from faculty members who brought real-world experience to the classroom, as well as CNC coursework and exposure to Trine’s Foundry Lab.

“I was able to spend time in applications I thought would be more applicable to what I wanted to do in the real world,” he said.

Moving into management

As he continued through college and into his career, he also enjoyed working with manufacturing as well as areas such as personal development, personal relationships and processes. He decided to continue on to Trine’s Master of Science in engineering management program to gain the knowledge and skills to transition into a leadership role.

“I always wanted to become a boss, and I figured it was the best way to learn to be a leader,” he said.

He recently was promoted to production manager at SCP Limited in Auburn, Indiana. The company manufactures silicon carbide and silicon nitride igniters for products such as stoves, furnaces, water heaters and industrial boilers.

Zeb said going on to earn a management-related graduate degree helped him learn how to make decisions on the fly.

“It helped me to have the background in the processes and mechanisms that can help make those decisions and estimate down times, so we can make the adjustments to keep production going,” he said.

He hopes eventually to move into roles with more responsibility in operations and business, perhaps someday becoming president of a company. In the meantime, he is grateful for everything Trine, and particularly DET professor Tom Trusty, did to help prepare him for his current role.

“(Prof. Trusty) helped me get into decision-making and pushed me to follow through on what I said I always wanted to do,” Zeb said.