A Message from Our Founder: Announcing Retirement

To my Mixxer family,

Today, I want to share some news regarding an evolution of Mixxer—a change that our staff, board members, and I have been carefully planning for several months. I will be transitioning out of my staff role this March.

While I am leaving being part of the staff, I want to be clear: I am not leaving the Mixxer community.

This has been a 12-year journey for me—eight of those since we first opened these doors. I have watched you build incredible things and even better relationships. Thanks to our dedicated members, mentors, donors, staff, board, and support from the Winston-Salem philanthropic community, I know Mixxer's future is very bright. I am leaving the organization in very capable hands.

A community of dedicated people created this amazing place, and I have been fortunate to be one of them. I remember when Mixxer was just a handful of us meeting monthly at different spots around Winston-Salem. I remember the cold winter evenings we spent painting and setting up our shops, supported by people who used their own vehicles to haul tools and supplies. I am deeply grateful to everyone who has invested their time and treasure to make Mixxer what it is today.

As I move into this next chapter, I’ll be restarting my design/build business and devoting more time to the creative work that originally gave me the energy to lead Mixxer’s development. You will still see me around—only now, I’ll be there as a member and a volunteer.

I look forward to continuing my work with the metal casting community, making molds, and joining you on iron pours around North Carolina.

As we look toward the future, the Mixxer board and staff will soon begin searching for new team members to manage safety training and maintenance. I ask you to consider how you might help during this transition. Whether it’s sharing the upcoming job posting with your network or volunteering your time to help keep our shops running smoothly, your involvement is what makes this place work.

Thank you for being part of this journey with me. I can’t wait to see what we build next—together.

With gratitude,

J Alan Shelton