San Francisco Bay Area Program

Advisory Board members Gary and Sandy Fryer, Fryer Industries

Sandy Fryer graduated in 1969 with a bachelor of science in mechanical engineering. After graduation, she and her husband Gary (BS ME 1968) went to work for Chevron Corporation where Sandy worked in design engineering, chemical plant operations, and business planning. Gary started as a refinery engineer and then worked in business development, management of international crude oil, and products marketing and trading. In 1985, the couple decided to fulfill a lifelong dream to own a business. They purchased an existing business and established Fryer Industries, Inc.

The business is a small mechanical metal finishing business, an area that neither Fryer was familiar with when they started. Over their nearly 20 years in the business, the company has ranged from five to ten employees. "In the beginning, I did everything from marketing management to bookkeeping to janitor while our employees concentrated on production. That's what being a small business is," said Sandy Fryer. "My customers didn't care if I was female, orange, pink, or purple. They cared whether I could get the work done."

Fryer encouraged students to not necessarily take the first position they're offered. "When you take a job with a business, the culture of the company is as important as what you do, so evaluate the company's culture carefully." She suggested that the location and the cost of living in that location need to be considered as well. The position should both provide good experience and also allow the student to start saving to help finance a business of their own.