The North Forge family has expanded again! We are excited to welcome Gloria Thom, our new Operations Specialist!

Gloria’s entrepreneurial drive and passion helped draw her to North Forge. She has a deep understanding for incubating and accelerating startups and a deep appreciation for the programming that North Forge puts their Founders through. During the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, Gloria bootstrapped her own company which continues to flourish. With every penny of those profits, she made her first major investment in a tech startup that is set to go public on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) later this year. These experiences help Gloria relate to our founders. She understands what it’s like to build a business from the ground up and to see tech investment opportunities.

Gloria recently went back to learn finance and project management from the Western School of Business. She brings 10+ years of executive administration management, event planning, and board experience to North Forge. Additionally, her skill sets include assessing pitches, pitch decks and investment opportunities from a financial perspective.

Gloria is looking forward to collaborating with and learning from everyone. Notably, the skill level of our management team and her new colleagues is another area that drew her to North Forge. “CEO Joelle Foster, cultivates an environment of collaboration and makes certain that each staff member’s abilities are validated and incorporated for use at North Forge. The sense of being part of the North Forge family has been deeply fulfilling.”

While welcoming Gloria into the Operations Specialist role, the Fabrication Lab (FabLab™) has also welcomed a new Assistant – Emelia Nyarku! Emelia was the first employee when the organization was known as Assentworks in 2014. She has been with North Forge from the beginning in 2017. Emelia stepped away for a short while to pursue work in the film industry. She came back in June 2020 as the North Forge Operations Specialist and has been transitioning into her FabLab role over the past month.

Emelia’s strong skills in communication, problem solving and teamwork will help her excel with various aspects of the FabLab. She enjoys being a part of the FabLab community and is most excited about collaborating on new projects while helping to support its growth. “There are a lot of new projects on the go at the FabLab right now, and I can’t wait to help move them forward! From additional equipment being added, expanding to the additional space, and using VR to enhance the safety program this is definitely an exciting place to be!”

To learn more about the team at North Forge, click here.