On June 27, 2025, the Non-Ferrous Founder’ Society (NFFS), Danko Arlington, Inc., and its newly certified aerospace welder, Justin LeGrand, were formally recognized at the US Navy’s Talent Pipeline Program (TPP) National Signing Day. With over two hundred and eighty people attending at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., the event showcased the Navy’s next generation of skilled workers who have entered the Defense Industrial Base (DIB) to produce ships and submarines.
NFFS and its Executive Director and Flag Lead, Jerrod Weaver, represent the first US trade organization to join as an Enterprise+ Sponsor. At this special commemorative event, NFFS Director of Workforce Development and TPP Network Coach, Bill Padnos, was able to report great success among the Society’s six participating foundries in this new Cohort.
Danko Arlington’s Justin LeGrand is a great example. Justin learned basic welding skills at our neighboring Northwest Baltimore’s Jane Adams Resource Corporation’s (JARC) trade school where Danko Arlington is a founding sponsor and 2019 Employer-Partner-of-the-Year. After graduation, Justin was welding dumpsters when Danko Arlington offered him a position and on-the-job training to produce critical aluminum cast assemblies used on Navy ships. Justin quickly advanced and is now American Welding Society (AWS) and customer certified for this highly skilled work.
The TPP has helped Danko Arlington focus on improved hiring and retention practices, particularly with a 30-60-90 day review of new personnel. The company looks forward to continued collaboration and implementing the wealth of new ideas that this unique organization brings to defense businesses.
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