VPI Mentorship & Workforce Development Program
Afternoon everyone!Just wanted to share an update from the VPI home front.
The past few months have been rough—between personal family matters, health challenges, and the usual trials and tribulations of running a family business while raising three kids, it's been a lot.
Flood update: The VPI House is still nowhere near ready to be used, but progress is moving as smoothly as it can, all things considered. We’ve been working through the damage, salvaging what we can. A lot of record jackets were destroyed, unfortunately, but we’ve been able to save many of the records themselves. Using our MW-1 Cyclone for a deeper clean, we’ve been carefully restoring them. These recovered albums will eventually be made available in an effort to keep the music alive. No record deserves to end up in a dumpster unless it’s truly beyond repair. The engineers, artists, and everyone involved in making those records put their hearts into that music—it’s worth preserving.
Still, things are starting to feel like they’re moving in the right direction. Though I know next week will be emotional for Harry when he returns and sees the aftermath firsthand.
On a more positive note, one of the biggest wins has been finally getting the VPI Model One into production and out into the world. That milestone has been possible thanks to the incredible support of our team and our
Mentorship Program.
As many of you know, I’ve spent time in both the classroom and the karate dojo. Over the past few years, I’ve had the opportunity to bring in some standout students—bright, motivated individuals who are now making real contributions at VPI. What started as a way to give back has evolved into something much bigger. The classroom wasn’t a distraction from our goals—it was a recalibration that has helped us raise the bar across the board.
One of those students is Brian, who’s now responsible for maintaining and improving this very forum. He’s been cleaning out spam, fixing back-end permissions, and making it his mission to bring more attention and care to this community space. And he’s just one example of how the next generation is breathing new life into VPI.
If you'd like to read more about the program and meet some of the new faces who are helping shape the future of VPI, check out our latest blog post:👉 VPI Mentorship & Workforce Development Program
Thanks, as always, for your support and for being part of this journey with us. More to come soon!
— Mat