During his undergraduate studies, Western Carolina University alumni Charlie Price never imagined he would land a career that would send him jet setting all around the world.
In December of 2007, Price graduated Western with a major in Engineering Technology. Almost immediately after graduation, Price was offered a job as a Manufacturing Engineer for Crane Resistoflex, a company which produces Teflon lined pipe and fittings for corrosive fluid services. Price spent eight months of this past year at one of the company’s sister facilities in Suzhou, China. His world travels don’t stop there; a company sponsored event also sent him to Germany.
His undeniable success came with hard work and focus from Price as a student, as well as the dedication of his professors.
“Professor Wes Stone in the Engineering Technology department’s top priority was seeing his students succeed, and that meant answering both school and real-world questions. His willingness to help is one of the main reasons I have been successful since graduation” said Price.
The beauty and serenity surrounding Western’s campus has also helped Price in his career.
“I believe the small town atmosphere helped me build character, which has enabled me to succeed in life after college” Price said.
Maximizing his college experience, Price managed to find a healthy balance between class and extracurricular activities; he was an avid participant in all intramural sports, as well as a proud member of the Kappa Sigma fraternity. He also spent two summers working at Western’s Greenhouse and is thankful for Peggy and the crew who gave him “two wonderful summer jobs.”
Price currently resides in Morganton, NC, but while at Western he lived on the first floor of Scott, “one of the lucky residents with AC!”, the Kappa Sigma house in the village, and the Maples.
By being a Catamount alumni for nearly three years now, Price has valuable advice for current students, “College will be the best time of your life while also being a major stepping stone to becoming an adult. It is something you will always look back on in life, so make as many memories as you can!”
Price recently visited Western to cheer on the Catamounts against Samford for Homecoming. When Price graduated, Western had only scratched the surface of its construction phase. During his last visit Price noted that among some of the biggest changes he noticed were, “definitely the gym and new dining hall, which is great, but I do miss the Brown Cafeteria days!”
Even though he has so many accomplishments already behind him, Price continues to work toward advancing his career. In the future he hopes to continue to have traveling opportunities with work to gain valuable experience and eventually aspires to move into a management position.
