Ryan Timboe’s Rx for Life: Work Hard. Play Hard. Repeat.

He’s worked as a roughneck in -45-degree temperatures in the “Ice Box of the Nation.” He’s nailed jaw-dropping tricks on a snowboard. He’s held his own in the boxing ring and traveled the world (26 countries and counting). When you’re Ryan Timboe, you don’t do anything halfway — work or play.

Ryan’s work ethic — and love of sports — took root early in life. He spent much of his free time working at his father’s businesses in Minot, North Dakota, and sparred with his big brother almost as soon as he could walk.

“I lost most of those matches,” says Ryan with a laugh, though he went on to compete as a sponsored boxer in his 20s. “Our dad made sure we understood the sport of boxing, and the discipline and respect it involves.”

Not one to shy away from a challenge, Ryan also competed as a sponsored snowboarder in “Big Air” competitions as a teenager. (His favorite trick? The 540 Rodeo Flip.) After graduating high school, Ryan put snowboarding aside for a more lucrative career in the oil fields so he could save money for college.

“I worked as a roughneck for 6 years. It’s a pretty dangerous job, but that’s where I became interested in the mechanical side of things,” says Ryan, who went on to study Engineering Drafting Design at Dunwoody College in Minneapolis. During this time he met his wife while working as a server at a great restaurant. He believes everyone should work in the restaurant business at least once in their life to truly understand customer service.

Known for its hands-on approach to learning and strict attendance policy, Dunwoody College is a favorite recruiting site for Industrial Inspection & Analysis (IIA). As a standout student with a serious work ethic, Ryan quickly caught the eye of IIA’s Metrology division, formerly known as QC Group.

Ryan started his career at IIA as a CAD Specialist, quickly working his way up from Level 1 to Level III. He then moved into a Sales Engineering role and eventually, Engineering Manager/Specialist. Ryan enjoys the variety that each day brings, and the camaraderie he has found in both work and sports.

“I love going to work every morning — working on different parts, running different machines and managing a team of engineers. We work with every industry, from medical prosthetics to automotive to packaging for plastic toys,” says Ryan. “We work through the entire life cycle of parts. We can help on the front end with design, we can tweak models, share knowledge of plastic-injection molding and at the end of the day, measure parts and make sure they meet standards and specifications.”

As a people person, Ryan enjoys working with customers to deliver solutions they truly need.

“Sometimes what the customer asks for is not what they actually need,” says Ryan.” Our job is to use our knowledge of the industry to guide them in the right direction to get the result they truly want.”

That kind of next-level customer service helps to generate word-of-mouth business for IIA. Even though many manufacturers have their own internal labs, many still seek out IIA Lab Services for quick and accurate results from a knowledgeable work force.

“Some companies use us because they know we provide unbiased data. We can also help customers improve their manufacturing processes,” explains Ryan. “Referrals represent about 90% of our Minnesota lab’s business because we have happy customers.”

Though his boxing and snowboarding days are behind him, the broken bones he suffered in his teens and twenties still remind Ryan of his colorful past. These days, he’d much rather be shooting sporting clays at the local shotgun range and spending time with his wife and their new son, Tristan.

“I’m a very family-oriented person, so I wanted to work at a company that feels like family,” says Ryan. “Being a father and a husband now, it puts me at ease knowing companies like IIA are helping make the world a safer place.”