Ricky Hochecker

Richard (Ricky) Hochecker graduated 2018 from PMT, Magna Cum Laude, and now works at Hartwig, Inc. in St. Louis as an application engineer. In both high school and at Ranken Technical College, Richard was a star performer in state and national SkillsUSA CNC Turning competitions. South Technical High School instructor Bob Arcipowski comments that Richard “always pushed himself to be the best he could be . . . I was confident he was going to be successful.” Ranken faculty member J.C. Owens agrees, saying “[he] was an outstanding student [and] consistently displayed passion and exuberance for precision machining.” Mike Wolf, an Application Manager at Hartwig and Richard’s supervisor, has been impressed by his level of preparation and discipline, saying “methodical thinking must be taught and demonstrated in the kind of strong program offered at Ranken. Ricky reflects these attributes every day.” In this interview, Richard talks about the family atmosphere and his work at Hartwig, a leading machine tool distributor that provides expert guidance, support and manufacturing solutions.