The class visited Rockbridge Manufacturing today where Andrea and Daryl Schnelten showed the students what their business is all about. They told the students how Andrea’s grandfather, Ralph Petersen, had started the business in 1975 as Rockbridge Castings. In 2016, Andrea and her husband Daryl, had the opportunity to purchase Rockbridge Castings and changed the name to Rockbridge Manufacturing to better describe their expanded services of sandblasting, powder coating, fabrication and welding. And while the name changed, the dedication to providing a quality product did not.

Andrea and Daryl are proud of the business they have built, and rightly so. They use environmentally friendly products, provide a unique service to the area and employ local workers. They also had some great advice for the students. They told them to diversify and not to put all of their eggs in one basket. That’s something that the COVID pandemic taught them. It has also taught them to listen to their customers and to branch out.

Thank you for inviting us to visit and thank you for your time!