Ulrich Merkle, Nathaniel Smith, and Aaron Lorimor were accepted into National Board membership at the January Board of Trustees meeting.

 

Ulrich (Rick) Merkle represents Iowa. Mr. Merkle served in the US Navy from 1979 to 1987, and was a boiler technician E-7 for eight years. His civilian career began at Hartford Steam Boiler Inspection and Insurance Company (Hartford) as a field engineer from 1987 to 1993. From 1993 to 1997 he worked in Iceland as a thermal heat transfer engineer. Next, he was employed with Hartford as an AI shop inspector from 1997 to 2001, until he joined the State of Wisconsin in 2001 to serve as bureau section chief. He remained in that role until 2014, when he took a position with the State of Iowa as interim chief inspector.

 

Nathaniel Smith represents the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Mr. Smith served in the US Navy from 1975 to 1999. He was a master chief boiler technician and served onboard the USS William M. Wood, the USS Mount Whitney, the USS Coral Sea, the USS Lawrence, and the USS Kalamazoo. His civilian career includes a post with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania from 1999 to 2013 as a commissioned boiler inspector, and then with Zurich Services Corp. from 2013 to 2014 as a risk engineering consultant, before being appointed boiler inspector director for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

 

Aaron M. Lorimor represents South Dakota. Mr. Lorimor has over 25 years’ experience in the welding industry. From 1985 to 1989 he was employed as a pipe welder and pipe fitter for Zanes Oilfield Service in Utah. He spent the next 18 years employed at Dewald Northwest/Wastequip as a welder/lead supervisor. In 2008 he became the welder/project manager/quality control manager at Adams Pipe & Vessel in South Dakota. He was appointed South Dakota deputy boiler inspector in July 2012 and promoted to chief in July 2014. [Photo unavailable at time of announcement.]