Grasping the torch

Hallee Tretow of Fredonia didn’t decide on a career path as a teenager, but she knew she wasn’t going to follow in her mother Sandy’s footsteps.

The 2023 Ozaukee High School grad emphatically shook her head about working as Ozaukee County treasurer.

“I can’t really sit still. I like being able to move around rather than sitting in an office job,” Tretow said.

She took woodworking and metals classes in high school and saw that welding had some career opportunities.

“I’ll give it a shot,” Tretow said.

Now, 20, Tretow is one month from graduating with an associate’s degree in welding technology from Milwaukee Area Technical College.

Unlike most college graduates excited to find their first jobs and embark on new careers, Tretow will be relieved. She can better focus on the full-time job she already has. Tretow works in the welding department at Wisconsin Stamping and Manufacturing in Germantown and looks forward to commuting from Fredonia to  there, rather than to the West Allis and downtown Milwaukee campuses of MATC for classes twice a week.

“It’s a big weight lifted off my shoulders,” she said of graduating. “I get pretty tired by the end of the week.”

Being a female in a male-dominated field isn’t a problem. Two MATC instructors said as many as one-third -of welding students are females.

“Honestly, they’re better than the guys, better motor skills” robotics instructor Lee Cerveny said.

Tretow takes some ribbing at work, but it’s not because she’s a woman.

“They poke fun at everyone no matter who you are, even people who have been working there for years and years. If you have a good spirit, it’s fun,” she said.

“I really like the environment there. A lot of people ask me why I’m working with mostly men, but the people I work with are pretty supportive of me.”

Once Tretow decided on her career, nothing was going to stand in her way.

“I’ve kind of always had the mindset of if I want to do something, I’m going to do it,” she said.

Tretow was part of Ozaukee High’s first dual-enrollment program. She attended MATC instead of high school during her senior year since she was able to get math and English credits at the college. She earned a high school diploma and a technical diploma during the same year.

Northern Ozaukee Supt. Dave Karrels said the school’s Welding Academy provides a kick-start to potential careers through MATC.

“We partnered with them in order to assist three motivated, focused seniors with their desire to earn a technical diploma that will help those students be workforce ready. This program also allowed all three students to maximize their skills and participate in highly relevant courses that will lead to high-paying employment opportunities,” he said.

Tretow was also part of Ozaukee Youth Apprenticeship and worked for the Fredonia Public Works Department. She managed the village’s wastewater treatment plant on weekends and got to climb the 130-foot high water tower.

Though college is ending, Tretow’s learning has just begun. Wisconsin Stamping and Manufacturing welds components of steel, stainless steel and aluminum for parts that get put into all kinds of items, from small pieces for rolling chairs to large covers for catalytic converters.

“Some jobs have thousands of points and require tiny welds,” Tretow said.

Others are repeat jobs that come easier, but some only come once a year and Tretow has to jog her memory on the process. New jobs are always a challenge, and sometimes designs for parts change.

“You always have to try to figure things out. That’s something I’m working on, trying to be independent,” Tretow said.

She has also learned how to thrive in a difficult environment. The building isn’t air conditioned, and uniforms are heavy and warm. She sustained burns once from leaning on something, and randomly gets burned by flying sparks.

“You kind of get used to it. It’s part of the job,” Tretow said.

She has to keep pace with her co-workers. Each part has a work rate, and Tretow said she tries to exceed the goal each hour to allow for wiggle room. Pay rates are competitive, so faster and more effective workers earn better wages, she said.

Tretow works away as she listens to music. Rock groups such as Collective Soul, Stone Temple Pilots and Greta Van Fleet are some of her favorites.

Sometimes, customers send parts back that need to be welded again because they didn’t hold. Over Christmas break, Tretow had more than 2,000 parts from multiple customers in Mexico send parts back that she welded. She followed instructions that she was given, but the welds cracked.

“I feel really guilty when that happens,” Tretow said. “It’s going to happen. We’re all human. I try to take it as a learning experience.”

Tretow, however, is a valued employee. The company gave her a uniform with her name on it last summer and hopes to keep her after graduation.

Her pay won’t be used on college loans. Tretow received multiple scholarships from the American Welding Society that covered tuition. MATC welding instructor Bill Peterson told her about the scholarships.

Tretow said she isn’t sure where her welding career will go, but having that associate’s degree keeps options open.

She likes the manufacturing field and robotics, a new element to the industry. Since she learned about robotics in college, Tretow can use one of the four robotic cells at work and troubleshoot them without help.

Inspections, a vital role in the industry when it comes to parts on bridges, ships, skyscrapers and in aerospace, are another possibility. “The possibilities are endless,” Tretow said.

With her soon-to-be newfound spare time, Tretow will spend more time at concerts and on her hobby of collecting vinyl records.

“I’m still trying to figure out life in general since I’m new at being an adult,” she said.

For those considering a career in welding or the trades, Tretow said, “Just try it. It’s not going to hurt you. It’s definitely going to be scary at first.

“Take every opportunity that you’re given. What if I never accepted that first year with high school dual enrollment?”