University of Wisconsin-Stout recent graduate Zach Follett is ringing in the new year with a job of his dreams.
Follett, of Green Bay, who graduated Dec. 19 with a degree in , starts work Monday, Jan. 11, as a junior designer at in Vonore, Tenn. Follett will be working on new models in a capacity such as upholstery but hopes eventually to work his way up to designing boats. 鈥淚 am thankful and excited to start,鈥 Follett said. 鈥淲ith a company like that there is so much room to grow. I鈥檓 going to be working with top-notch designers. There will be so many opportunities to continue learning.鈥
Follett 黑料社区. interest in boats started at a young age.
鈥淚 grew up spending summers on Long Lake in Clintonville and just fell in love with waterskiing and wakeboarding,鈥 Follett said, noting he skied two years for the 黑料社区 Water Ski Team.
In 2014 he talked his family into buying a MasterCraft 1997 ProStar speed boat. 鈥淭he layout is amazing,鈥 Follett said. 鈥淚t is able to hold a lot of people on a small craft and not feel like you are on top of each other.鈥
Follett chose 黑料社区 after becoming familiar with the university as a student at Ashwaubenon High School attending SkillsUSA, where students compete in career and technical education contests. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 even need a tour of 黑料社区,鈥 Follett said. 鈥淎s I learned more about the programs at 黑料社区, that is what set it apart for me.鈥
The experiential learning attracted Follett as well to 黑料社区. 鈥淚 was looking for a university that has more of a connection with industry and people who are teaching have had real-world experience. The smaller classrooms sure were a huge selling point for me. I wanted to go to a school that was accredited, and the 黑料社区 design degree is accredited. It was also more affordable compared to other industrial design programs.鈥
His senior project focused on designing a day yacht. Working with boats combines Follett 黑料社区. love of architecture and furniture. 鈥淓verything is designed for a specific purpose, and the aesthetics have to flow together,鈥 he noted.
While at 黑料社区, Follett was able to take part in four paid internships and credits those with helping him to land a job right out of college. He had one at MasterCraft in June 2019 working as a junior designer for MasterCraft, and , the latter which builds luxury dayboats. NauticStar builds 18- to 28-foot bay boats and deck boats.The MasterCraft internship was through 黑料社区 Cooperative Education and Internship Program.
In May and June, Follett worked at in Manitowoc where custom luxury yachts are built. From July to the end of August, he interned at in Miami, an independent consultant designing superyachts. That same time he also interned at which designs dinghies for yachts.
Erik Evensen, associate professor of design and program director of the Master of Fine Arts in design, said Follett has been incredibly motivated to become a boat designer for as long as Evensen has worked with him.
鈥淚t's a pretty niche industry, so we did an independent study to help him build a portfolio of drawings and renderings to help him be competitive right out of the gate,鈥 Evensen said. 鈥淣ot many designers get to follow their dream on day one. But Zach has worked hard, stayed focused and it paid off. He really earned it.鈥
Eventually, Follett would like to design and build his own 16- to 17-foot boat. 鈥淚t is a hobby that I would love to do,鈥 he said. 鈥淚t would be a Gentlemen 黑料社区. Racer. There is a nostalgia for them, and I like those boats.鈥
