A woman inducted into the Northeast Community College Alumni Hall of Success in 2009 helped chart the future of one of the 2025 Hall of Success inductees.
That’s what J.J. Snodgrass, sales service manager at Vulcraft Nebraska, told the audience recently as he was welcomed into the Hall of Success.
“I was young, broke,” Snodgrass said, “and just going into the drafting program at Northeast. Cindy Morrow came in and posted a job listing for a part time plot clerk at Vulcraft.”
Snodgrass was hired for that job, and has been with Vulcraft-Nucor ever since, working at the Nucor Detailing Center and Nucor Cold Finish in Norfolk, at Vulcraft in Florence, South Carolina, and now back in Norfolk where he oversees a team that includes scheduling, project management, loading, shipping, truck drivers, and truck shop operations.
Instructors were an important part of Snodgrass’s experience at Northeast, and he cited Harry Lindner, Gary Parker, and John Blaylock as being especially supportive of him as a student.
“I remember John Blaylock specifically saying ‘You know you’re smart. You’re really good at school, but you need to be smarter’ and he guided me along the way. I really appreciated that,” Snodgrass said.
“The experiences, the friendships I got while I was here at Northeast Community College, the skill set that I use in my job every single day, are all things I will cherish forever,” Snodgrass said. “It’s given me my life. It’s given me everything that we have. So, I owe everything to Northeast Community College.”
Snodgrass met his wife, Helen, when she was also a student at Northeast. They have three sons, Keaton, Owen, and Calen. As a family, they enjoy watching movies, football, Formula 1 racing, and occasionally playing golf. Over the years, Snodgrass has also been involved with the Norfolk City Planning Commission, the City of Norfolk Chamber of Commerce, the Nebraska Diplomats, and the United Way Board. More recently, he and his wife have been focusing their time on volunteering and supporting their sons’ church and school activities.
Snodgrass and the other Hall of Success inductees were honored during the annual Northeast Achievement Awards celebration held Sept. 25 in the Lifelong Learning Center on the Norfolk campus.
The Alumni Hall of Success honor is awarded to past graduates and students who have achieved significant success in their professions, exhibited exemplary citizenship qualities, and/or made significant contributions to their communities and/or community affairs.
Nominees should have completed a recognized diploma or degree from Northeast (or its predecessor colleges) or completed at least 24 credit hours at Northeast to be applied toward a degree at another college or university. Nominations are due May 31 of each year, and a nomination form can be found at: northeast.edu/giving/achievement-awards.
ID: JJ Snodgrass
###
