Upcoming Workforce Development Webinar - Legacy at Work: Empowering Foundry Veterans to Mentor
Why Mentorship Is Mission-Critical
for Your Foundry’s Future
Across the metal casting industry, a quiet but urgent challenge is growing: experienced foundry veterans—the individuals who carry decades of practical knowledge, are retiring at a pace that outstrips the entry of new workers. Their expertise, built through years of solving problems, navigating production challenges, and upholding safety and quality standards, is the foundation that keeps many operations running smoothly. Yet unless companies take intentional steps to capture and transfer that institutional knowledge, much of it will disappear when these experts walk out the door.
This is more than a workforce issue, it’s a business continuity issue. Foundries that lose critical know-how often face increased downtime, cost overruns, avoidable quality issues, and slower onboarding of new employees. A structured, intentional mentorship culture is one of the most effective ways to safeguard your operation from these risks. But mentorship doesn’t just protect knowledge; it strengthens teams, boosts engagement, and increases retention by signaling to both new and veteran workers that their contributions matter.
That’s why the Non-Ferrous Founders’ Society is hosting Legacy at Work: Empowering Foundry Veterans to Mentor on Tuesday, December 16, 2025, from 12:00–1:00 PM EST. This webinar will provide practical, real-world guidance on how to create win-win mentorship systems that empower seasoned employees to train, guide, and support the next generation, without fear of being replaced, and without adding unnecessary workload.
Leading the session is David Rea, Managing Director of Organizational Development Consulting at Catalyst Connection. With deep expertise in workforce alignment, talent development, and organizational performance, David has helped manufacturers across Southwestern Pennsylvania build powerful succession plans, strengthen workforce pipelines, and develop cultures where mentorship thrives. His work spans leadership development, job analysis, knowledge transfer, and employee engagement, making him uniquely equipped to guide foundries through the challenges of generational workforce transition.
In this session, David will break down actionable approaches for capturing critical skills and passing them forward efficiently. Attendees will explore how to build structured mentoring systems, how to motivate veteran workers to share their insights, and how leaders can foster a culture of trust, collaboration, and shared purpose. By learning how to recognize, elevate, and transfer essential expertise, foundries can protect their operational stability while strengthening long-term performance.
The truth is simple: if you don’t intentionally preserve your institutional knowledge, you risk losing it forever. Investing one hour in this session can help your company build a stronger, more resilient workforce, one that honors its past while preparing for its future.
Your foundry’s legacy lives in the people who built it. Join us to ensure that legacy continues for the next generation. Register today and take a meaningful step toward strengthening your workforce, your culture, and your competitive edge.