Hill Engineering’s new facility in Rancho Cordova, CA features a combination of laboratory, research and development, and office space. We have proudly named the primary conference room in our facility the Prime Room, a fitting tribute to a special Hill Engineering collaborator, the inventor of the contour method, and inspirational figure, Mike Prime. We were recently honored to have Mike Prime stop by for a ribbon cutting ceremony celebrating the opening of the Prime Room.
Looking back, Mike had a very significant impact on the history and sequence of events that led to the formation of Hill Engineering. As we’ve discussed before, Mike invented the contour method at Los Alamos National Laboratory in 1999. Mike quickly reached out to his fellow residual stress measurement colleague (Mike Hill) and we began working with the contour method at UC Davis in 2000. As we developed the contour method for commercial use we found many opportunities to apply it and other residual stress engineering technologies to benefit programs related to commercialization of laser peening. Initial success brought subsequent projects and we quickly realized the commercial potential of the contour method.
The ribbon cutting ceremony was a great success. We honored Mike Prime, shared some contour method and other residual stress measurement memories, and ate cake!
Mike, thank you for stopping by and thank you for your significant contributions to our organization. The Prime Room stands as a tribute to the creativity, insights, and support that you’ve provided to Hill Engineering over the years.
The dawning of a new age as Mike Prime cuts the ribbon celebrating the opening of the Prime Room.