1996 – 2026

Thirty years on the same standard

Blackfox opened in Colorado in 1996 to do one thing: certify the people who build electronics, to the criteria their customers actually audit against. Three decades later that is still the whole business.

Founded: Longmont, Colorado, 1996
Accredited: IPC Authorized Training Center
Centers: Six, across three regions

Years teaching: 30; Continuously since 1996
Training centers: 6; United States, Mexico, Asia
Languages: 2; English and Español
Courses led by an MIT: 100%; Master IPC Trainer level

Figures for people trained and certifications issued are being verified against our records before publication.

History

What changed, and what did not

The standards moved through several revisions, the delivery went online, and two more regions opened. The criteria we teach against, and the level we teach at, did not move.

1996: Blackfox opens in Longmont, Colorado as a soldering and assembly training provider.
2000s: Becomes an IPC Authorized Training Center and takes on the full IPC catalogue.
2010s: Centers open in Guadalajara and Querétaro, and delivery begins in Spanish.
2010s: Training partners established in Penang and Singapore.
2020s: Live online delivery added in both languages, with sample kits shipped ahead.
2026: Thirty years of certification records, and the same criteria.

Instructors

The people who teach

Every Blackfox instructor came off a production floor before they taught, and every certification course is led by a Master IPC Trainer.

Amanda Podoll
Master IPC Trainer
IPC J-STD-001 · IPC-A-610 · IPC 7711/7721 · IPC/WHMA-A-620
Amanda Podoll has been in the electronics manufacturing industry for over 15 years. She started as a production/hand soldering operator at an electromechanical assembly facility where she worked her way up serving in various roles including inspector, quality technician, auditor and trainer. She also has knowledge and experience in the following areas: • Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) • Foreign Object Debris/Damage (FOD) • Human Factors • Quality Management Systems (ISO9001, AS9100, AS9110) • Internal and Lead Auditing • Corrective/Preventative Actions • Incoming, In Process, Final & Source…
Bill Walker
Master IPC Trainer
IPC J-STD-001 · IPC-A-610 · IPC 7711/7721 · IPC-A-600 · IPC/WHMA-A-620
Bill specializes in the performance and instruction of micro-miniature soldering and laminate re-work and contributes over 17 years of training experience in beginning through advanced soldering, basic electronics theory and troubleshooting, and individual wire and harness repair techniques. Bill is retired from the United States Air Force where he was certified as a micro-miniature circuit card repair technician and repair program manager for the last 7 years. He was also a master instructor for 7 years with the Community College of the Air Force for soldering, wire harness repair, and F-16…
DeAnna Lindsey
Master IPC Trainer
IPC J-STD-001 · IPC-A-610 · IPC/WHMA-A-620 · IPC 7711/7721
DeAnna Lindsey has years of experience in aerospace, defense, and electronics manufacturing, specializing in high-reliability production environments and advanced workforce development. Her background includes supporting mission-critical programs such as PAC-3, Space Launch System (SLS), Ground Missile Defense, and complex electronic and electro-mechanical manufacturing operations across multiple sites. DeAnna has served in key instructional and leadership roles with Boeing Defense, Space & Security, Lockheed Martin Space, and SCI Technologies, where she developed and delivered training that…
Donald Wilson
Master IPC Trainer
IPC J-STD-001 · IPC/WHMA-A-620 · IPC-A-610
Donald Wilson has been in the electronics manufacturing industry for over 13 years. He’s built and supported various space vehicles. You can find his works circling the globe, on other planets or traveling through space helping map the universe. In his former roles he’s spent time as a fabricator, supporting staff, scheduler and an instructor. In his spare time he enjoys traveling to new places and having new experiences.
Hugo Guevara
Master IPC Trainer
IPC-A-610 · IPC J-STD-001 · IPC 7711/7721 · IPC/WHMA-A-620
Industrial engineer and certified TSU Electronic, IPC standards by Blackfox Training Institute. Hugo has over 13 years of experience in the field of electronics manufacturing. He has experience in the manufacture and installation of equipment and development of industrial training needs for electronic manufacturing as well as Black belt training. Hugo Guevara has several different positions in the electronics manufacturing industry: Technical Trainer, Engineer of Process, Manager of Manufacturing and Manager General. He possesses both a wide breadth and deep knowledge of electronics…
Jamie Noland
Master IPC Trainer, Director of Training & Education
IPC-A-610 · IPC J-STD-001 · IPC 7711/7721 · IPC-A-600 · IPC-6012 · IPC/WHMA-A-620
Mr. Noland has extensive work history in the Electronics Manufacturing and Information Technology industries. He has over 25 years of very well-rounded experience working as: IPC Trainer, Manufacturing Technologist, Process Engineer, Website Developer, IT Manager, Marketing Manager, Manufacturing Scheduling and Production Supervisor. Before Blackfox, Jamie has worked for Hewlett Packard, Celestica, Merix and Hach. As a Master IPC Trainer in all IPC Certification programs, Mr. Noland strongly believes that manufacturing is the key to America’s economy and truly enjoys the chance to pass on his…
Japlin Adiwijaya
Master IPC Trainer
IPC J-STD-001 · IPC-A-610
Japlin started working at the beginning of 1994 at the Manufacturing Engineering Department of Thomson Television as a line trainer and at Galaxy-Aztech Pte Ltd in 1997 as a Trainer in the Human Resource Department. There, among other things, he taught students how to use pick-and-place and turret surface mount machines, how to manually and automatically insert radial and axial through-hole components, and how to manually soldering and de-soldering. He also taught the technicians and operators how to align the RF tuner air coil to function, ATE Test, and functional troubleshooting/repairs. He…
Julie Hunt
Master IPC Trainer
IPC J-STD-001 · IPC-A-610 · IPC 7711/7721 · IPC/WHMA-A-620
Julie was born and raised in Colorado and has over 20+ yrs in Electronics manufacturing. She has worked at Hewlett Packard, Celestica, EFTC, Vergent Products and EI Medical Imaging gaining a variety of experience. She now resides in Arizona.
Kristi Michaud
Master IPC Trainer
IPC-A-610 · IPC-A-600 · IPC J-STD-001
Kristi was born and raised in the Twin Cities area and currently lives in Anoka, MN. In her free time, she enjoys watching her daughter compete in Taekwondo tournaments, going to live music events, cooking, hiking and DIY projects at home.
Levi Gibbon
Master IPC Trainer
IPC J-STD-001 · IPC-A-610 · IPC/WHMA-A-620 · IPC 7711/7721 · IPC-A-600 · IPC-6012
Levi Gibbon has been in electronics manufacturing for over 15 years with extensive experience in contract Electronics Manufacturing Services in the Medical, Aerospace, and Tech Industrial industries. Levi has worked for Celestica, RPM Technology, and Computrol/ Creation Technologies. Levi has also worked in the solar inverter industry with SMA America and as an English teacher in China. Having started in the industry as a Hand Solderer and working his way up to the Quality Manager position, Levi brings to Blackfox an extensive knowledge of the electronics manufacturing industry with…
Loh Wee Kong
Master IPC Trainer
Loh Wee Kong was a Principal Process Engineer before joining Blackfox Training Institute. He has over 23 years experience in the PCBA industry. He has been an IPC MIT/CIT for over 11 years. Notable companies that he has worked for include Jabil Circuit doing Aerospace and Defence work and with DSO National Laboratories for over 9 years doing development work and conducting internal IPC training. He has extensive hands on experience in PCBA processes that includes prototyping and mass production. He also programmed, operated and maintained SMT machines, wave soldering machines, conformal…
Vince Price
Master IPC Trainer; AZ Facility Manager
IPC-A-600 · IPC-A-610 · IPC/WHMA-A-620 · IPC J-STD-001 · IPC 7711/7721
With 28 years of Electronic Manufacturing experience in the Military, Medical and Gas and Oil industries, Vince brings a wealth of knowledge to the Blackfox team. His experience includes Production Management, Quality Management, Purchasing and IPC Certification Training. Vince has been a long time customer of Blackfox and now has joined our team as the Facilities Manager for our location in Phoenix, AZ. Vince is experienced in all aspects of the Manufacturing process to include PCB Fabrication, Circuit Card Assembly (T/H & SMT), Box Build and Cable and Wire Harness Assembly.
Wayne Leong Fook Seng
IPC-A-600 · IPC-A-610 · IPC/WHMA-A-620
Mr Leong graduated with a Diploma in Mechanical Engineering. During his 38 years of employment with various multi-national companies (MNC) and local organizations, he had experiences in equipment and fixture design, automation, manufacturing of multi-layers printed circuit boards, printed circuit board assemblies, manufacturing of consumer products, plastic injection molding and etc. He had successfully responsible and involving in setting up and implementing AS 9100 quality management programs in 2 companies. One company doing printed circuit-board assembly and the other doing precision…