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B-A grad enjoys dream job with golf

Courtesy photo Adam Osborne works to develop golf equipment while living in the state of Arizona.

By Ken Love

For the Mirror

For Bellwood native Adam Osborne, working for an industry leader like PING has been a dream come true.

Late last year, the 24-year-old Osborne moved to Phoenix, Arizona to begin working for one of the premier manufacturers of golf equipment in the world.

A single-digit handicapper, Osborne became hooked on golf prior to his freshman year of high school. He eventually tried out for his school’s team and became a standout golfer for Bellwood-Antis High School before graduating in 2015.

After high school, Osborne enrolled at Penn State University to study industrial engineering and spent his first two years at Penn State Altoona.

While there, he played for the school’s golf team before moving to the main campus to finish his final two years.

Upon graduation, Osborne began working for furniture maker Steelcase as a quality engineer at the company’s distribution center in Hazleton.

Enjoying his work, Osborne wasn’t actively looking for another job, but as fate would have it another opportunity was about to present itself.

“As a golfer, I’ve always been a big fan of PING, so last year I was excited to see they had posted ‘job opening’ information on their Instagram page,” Osborne said. “I’ve always followed PING, so it didn’t take me long to contact them.”

By September of last year, Osborne received a request for an on-line interview. Shortly thereafter, he was flown out to PING’s Arizona facility for a longer, second interview.

“The live interview in Phoenix was pretty intense,” Osborne said. “I talked to many different people that day, including company president John K. Solheim (grandson of PING’s iconic founder Karsten Solheim).”

By day’s end, all went well as Osborne was offered a position as a process engineer. He would be assigned to the manufacturing line that produces all of PING’s metal woods.

Nov. 1 of last year was Osborne’s first day on the job, assuming a list of duties that included working on quality issues, maximizing efficiencies, and optimizing product flow.

While his many responsibilities keep him busy throughout the day, an interesting perk of Osborne’s job involves participating in occasional player tests throughout the week.

These tests are actually sessions in which employees are asked to test out new equipment.

“When new products are developed, the company has a need for feedback and data on how the equipment performs,” Osborne said. “Employees with a cross-section of handicaps are asked to go to the on-site driving range to hit as many balls as they need to capture the data they’re looking for.”

Another interesting side note concerning the site where Osborne now works is the famous PING vault. This is a special room that is used to store thousands of gold-plated putters which are actually replicas of every PING putter used by the winner of a PGA, LPGA, Champions Tour event or other significant tournament.

“It’s an impressive room,” Osborne said. “And it’s getting pretty full. I’m not sure how many more putters they can fit in that space.”

With all the impressive surroundings, Osborne still finds it easy to focus on the job at hand. Making sure his duties are performed well will only help ensure PING remains one of the premier manufacturers of golf equipment in the world.

“I’ve only been here since November, but I can say that every day has been great,” Osborne said. “I know it’s the type of job I’ll never get tired of.”

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