'MEAT' THE TEAM
Warren Houdek
Facilities Specialist
UWRF Facilities Specialist Warren Houdek is a skilled tradesman with a range of experiences, including ten years of building maintenance on a farm with beef cattle.
Warren was inspired at an early age by his grandfather, who advised “don’t ever ask anybody to fix anything, you can do it yourself!” His professional career launched at 15 after a summer framing houses. He continued collecting skills including concrete, masonry, welding, and turning wrenches.
Warren recently reworked the drop-floor V-restrainer for pigs and sheep in the UWRF meat plant, integrating the scale and restrainer to reduce handling steps, time, and potential for worker injuries. He led the team in creating a wood mock-up of the design, allowing opportunity to validate the design before moving forward with metal. Pictured here is Warren reviewing the restrainer concept with Dr. Temple Grandin.
Always looking to help, this summer Warren is rebuilding the indoor swing sets in the University Center – a popular hangout spot for campus students. They were underbuilt and failing. Recognizing that someone could get hurt, Warren rose to the task. “Eight people swinging, even at a hundred pounds each, that’s a lot of torque!” Thanks, Warren, for all that you do!
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