My name is Louie Dietz. I am an engineer and designer specializing in building concept cars for major car manufacturers and film. I am also one of the members of American Innovators, A 501C3 corporation rounded out by Jp Laguerre and Mark Teneyck, two invaluable engineering minds with diverse manufacturing, education and software backgrounds. Our Careers have allowed us to become proficient in metal working, wood working, plastic fabrication, composites fabrication, computer aided design and many other mediums. as our respective careers have grown, we have had an incredibly hard time finding good help in the above areas as industrial arts are not taught in school anymore (very little at least). These are valuable well paying skills and so two years ago we convened to try and change the education culture.
American Innovators (www.americaninnovators.net) was founded with three members passionate about teaching school children, veterans and tinkerers the skills to design and build whatever they can imagine. Using the latest technology including 3d printing, laser cutting and CAD design coupled with traditional manufacturing skills, we desire to re-populate Southern California with well paid manufacturing personnel and generate a new pool of home grown micro-manufacturers building and developing products and software right here in Los Angeles.
As a newly certified 501c-3 we set our sights on a location near the heart of new tech. The Manchester fire house (see map here: https://www.google.com/maps/place/Los+Angeles+Fire...) has increasingly become an eye-sore and given its perfect location and lack of upkeep, would make a great site for a community center and maker space. It would give children and adults a safe place to go and learn valuable marketable skills and those interested in making and tinkering a home to practice their craft.
We already have one location currently in the planning stages for The Playa vista area, but given the recent vandalism of the Fire house and its perfect size and location, we could not help but launch an investigation into making this place something that the community would utilize and benefit from. This petition drive is more to gain interest in a maker space/community center than it is to get the fire house specifically, but it is a great long term goal, and any location that comes out of the effort would be great for the community.
Our plan is to populate the space with the machinery necessary to teach modern technologies, programming and manufacturing practices to anyone that qualifies (veteran, high school student etc) using donated machinery (contacts already set up). All we need now is the space. Monthly memberships from paying professionals and those taking paid classes pays for the minimal overhead and labor.
We have developed this plan over the last two years and are excited to bring many locations to the South Bay and Los Angeles. We are a proponent of rapid education and teaching lost arts. Most importantly, there are very few programs that can generate so much positive education so quickly without costing tax payers a dime!
Thanks
Louie Dietz, Mark TenEyck, JP Laguerre (founding members)
[email protected]
Updates
September 11, 2015
We are currently meeting with local officials to secure a space for this workshop. Post this petition link on Facebook and text three friends to keep the pressure on our representatives.
September 11, 2015
The momentum behind this maker space is growing because you are talking about it in your neighborhoods. Post this link to your local Facebook groups today so we can keep the pressure on our city officials. Call your council representative to tell them your community needs this facility now.
Reached 100 supporters
September 11, 2015
48 Comments
The concept that all high school kids will be going to college is a sad comment on the state of wish-full thinking by high school educators across the county. Don't get me wrong, I graduated from UCLA and wish the same for all students in all of the Los Angeles area schools, but with a dropout rate of over 17% it is clear that almost 1 in 5 students need to find another path. This is why I feel a local maker-space is so valuable. By providing an interesting alternate path for all students, a path that the high schools can not, or will not provide, will give those 1 in 5 students another potential avenue for success in life.
Our community is underserved when it comes to training our young people in the trades. The old fire house is an excellent opportunity for Maker Space and a mini parklet.
This type of training will be important in helping bring better paying jobs to our young, our disadvantaged and others looking to build a career in manufacturing. If we are to bring jobs back to America, we need to have skilled workers!!
This is a fantastic idea that needs to happen NOW! The experiences and skills in industrial arts I learned as a child through classes and tinkering paved the way for a lifetime of skills and opportunity. It is a tradition in both sides of my family for generations. We need to make these critical early experiences accessible for future generations of Americans!
Been part of a makerspace in another community and people love what it has to offer and what they can learn.
Need more technical education for a strong work force. This type of program is the answer.
Sounds great! The neighborhood is behind you.
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My name is Louie Dietz. I am an engineer and designer specializing in building concept cars for major car manufacturers and film. I am also one of the members of American Innovators, A 501C3 corporation rounded out by Jp Laguerre and Mark Teneyck, two invaluable engineering minds with diverse manufacturing, education and software backgrounds. Our Careers have allowed us to become proficient in metal working, wood working, plastic fabrication, composites fabrication, computer aided design and many other mediums. as our respective careers have grown, we have had an incredibly hard time finding good help in the above areas as industrial arts are not taught in school anymore (very little at least). These are valuable well paying skills and so two years ago we convened to try and change the education culture.
American Innovators (www.americaninnovators.net) was founded with three members passionate about teaching school children, veterans and tinkerers the skills to design and build whatever they can imagine. Using the latest technology including 3d printing, laser cutting and CAD design coupled with traditional manufacturing skills, we desire to re-populate Southern California with well paid manufacturing personnel and generate a new pool of home grown micro-manufacturers building and developing products and software right here in Los Angeles.
As a newly certified 501c-3 we set our sights on a location near the heart of new tech. The Manchester fire house (see map here: https://www.google.com/maps/place/Los+Angeles+Fire...) has increasingly become an eye-sore and given its perfect location and lack of upkeep, would make a great site for a community center and maker space. It would give children and adults a safe place to go and learn valuable marketable skills and those interested in making and tinkering a home to practice their craft.
We already have one location currently in the planning stages for The Playa vista area, but given the recent vandalism of the Fire house and its perfect size and location, we could not help but launch an investigation into making this place something that the community would utilize and benefit from. This petition drive is more to gain interest in a maker space/community center than it is to get the fire house specifically, but it is a great long term goal, and any location that comes out of the effort would be great for the community.
Our plan is to populate the space with the machinery necessary to teach modern technologies, programming and manufacturing practices to anyone that qualifies (veteran, high school student etc) using donated machinery (contacts already set up). All we need now is the space. Monthly memberships from paying professionals and those taking paid classes pays for the minimal overhead and labor.
We have developed this plan over the last two years and are excited to bring many locations to the South Bay and Los Angeles. We are a proponent of rapid education and teaching lost arts. Most importantly, there are very few programs that can generate so much positive education so quickly without costing tax payers a dime!
Thanks
Louie Dietz, Mark TenEyck, JP Laguerre (founding members)
[email protected]
Updates
September 11, 2015
We are currently meeting with local officials to secure a space for this workshop. Post this petition link on Facebook and text three friends to keep the pressure on our representatives.
September 11, 2015
The momentum behind this maker space is growing because you are talking about it in your neighborhoods. Post this link to your local Facebook groups today so we can keep the pressure on our city officials. Call your council representative to tell them your community needs this facility now.
Reached 100 supporters
September 11, 2015
48 Comments
Trade schools and fabrication skills are dying in Los Angeles. I've forwarded this information to the Los Angeles mayor's office.
The concept that all high school kids will be going to college is a sad comment on the state of wish-full thinking by high school educators across the county. Don't get me wrong, I graduated from UCLA and wish the same for all students in all of the Los Angeles area schools, but with a dropout rate of over 17% it is clear that almost 1 in 5 students need to find another path. This is why I feel a local maker-space is so valuable. By providing an interesting alternate path for all students, a path that the high schools can not, or will not provide, will give those 1 in 5 students another potential avenue for success in life.
Our community is underserved when it comes to training our young people in the trades. The old fire house is an excellent opportunity for Maker Space and a mini parklet.
This type of training will be important in helping bring better paying jobs to our young, our disadvantaged and others looking to build a career in manufacturing. If we are to bring jobs back to America, we need to have skilled workers!!
This is a fantastic idea that needs to happen NOW! The experiences and skills in industrial arts I learned as a child through classes and tinkering paved the way for a lifetime of skills and opportunity. It is a tradition in both sides of my family for generations. We need to make these critical early experiences accessible for future generations of Americans!
Been part of a makerspace in another community and people love what it has to offer and what they can learn.
Need more technical education for a strong work force. This type of program is the answer.
Sounds great! The neighborhood is behind you.
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Trade schools and fabrication skills are dying in Los Angeles. I've forwarded this information to the Los Angeles mayor's office.