Ernest Wiemann and the Top Job transformation

摘要

For television, it's the Emmys. For movies, it's the Oscars. But when judging the most outstanding fabrication in the ornamental metals industry, the decisive contest is the Ernest Wiemanr Top Job Competition offered at the annual NOMMA convention. For fabricators, there's no greater honor as the competitors and judges are all professionals, all peers. From the days when ornamental metal was hammered out by muscled blacksmiths in outdoor forges to the present, fabricators have challenged one another - and thus improved the knowledge base - by pitting design against design. It's a contest about form and function, with a variety of categories open for entry. The awards are given as gold, silver, or bronze, and signifying first, second, and third place. Only on shop, however, will win the Mitch Heitler Award for Excellence, which is chosen from among the gold winners. Though Heitler is no longer with us, his award is a tribute to his service to NOMMA over several decades. He wa known as an extremely likeable individual and a talented practical joker, but most notably, he was a man who admired the creativity in others. It's fitting, then, that the best of the Top Job winners is honored with the Heitler Award.