Rend Lake College News

Squibb Tank Co. Makes a Donation to the RLC Welding Department

Written by Megan McKinley | Sep 19, 2023 5:00:00 AM

INA, Ill. (Sep. 19, 2023)—Squibb Tank Co. made a generous donation of $1,796.30 worth of metal to the Rend Lake College Foundation for the RLC welding department.

RLC welding student demonstrates their skills. Do not attempt this at home. 

Squibb Tank Co. is a family owned and operated business, established in 1961. They are a company based out in Salem that provide quality, durability, and service to the steel storage tank industry.

RLC part-time welding instructor Sam Thompson is a long-time family friend of over 60 years to the company’s primary share holder, Mike Squibb. Thompson approached Squibb about donating some of their surplus steel and the team at Squibb Tank Co. thought it was a good way to show their support to the next generation of welders.

“As a welder I know the current price of steel,” Thompson said. “With this donation, we’ll have more students welding for less out of pocket cost for the Welding department. All in all, it helps RLC and that was the main objective.”

The Salem office manager, Micah (Squibb) Puricelli, is an alumnus of Rend Lake College and was happy to be able to provide this material to the welding students. “We want to show we value our community,” he said. “Providing these resources to students will better prepare them to work in the steel industry.”

RLC welding instructor Mike Meinert said that these donations will help their student in developing their skills to handle a variety of different materials. “As welders and fabricators, it is vital to be able to perform welds on dissimilar material sizes,” Meinert said. “It makes our students more rounded in this field.”

To learn more about Welding Technology at RLC, visit: https://rlc.edu/programs-and-degrees/212-welding-technology