Bend Tours 2019
In late January, SPD took almost 20 members to Bend to tour three sports and outdoor companies. Metolius Climbing, a rock climbing and safety equipment company, gave us a tour of their manufacturing and testing facilities. One of the highlights was witnessing destructive testing of carabiners and straps.
John MacDougall of MacDougall Bats, a family-owned wooden bat company with a patented structural design involving two types of wood, gave us a full walkthrough of his company’s journey and of the bat-making process.
Finally, Entre Prises, a worldwide leader in rockwall manufacturing, gave us a tour of their Bend warehouse and design office.
Bend Trip Video
Students had the opportunity at each company to chat with engineers, ask questions, and see engineering in action. After the day of industry tours, we had a teambuilding evening filled with food and games. We also relaxed and went sledding the next day before returning to Corvallis.