We're wrapping up our National Welding Month festivities with a feature on a member of the Bomber family: meet Jason Rivera! 

Jason is a Sales Rep and trade show representative for Bomber Eyewear. He travels to expositions to represent the Bomber name, sell sunnies, and get the word out about our fantastic community. But did you know he's also a competitive racer and a welder?

He met our founder Tommy Bonacci through the world of jet ski racing. 

"In 2013, my cousin's then-boyfriend came up to me and said, 'Next time you see Tommy at a race, tell him Slick said hi,'" Jason remembers. "It turns out this random relation of mine grew up with the guy. They went to school together, and Slick even drove Tommy's big rig on tour from 1990-1992. And seven years after that conversation, here we are! I had no idea I'd end up working with Tommy 'The Bomber' Bonacci!"



In addition to competitive jet skiing, Jason loves spending time camping or burning through another adrenaline-inducing sport: desert racing. Jason's favorite racing memory is from competing in the Baja 500 in 2011. 

"It was midnight in Mexico, and I drove right off a cliff," he says. "It was a four-hour adventure getting the race car back on all four wheels, then finding a local to tow me backwards on the race course seven miles to an access road." 

In the world of welding, Jason has been around the craft as long as he can remember.

"I grew up around power tools," he explains. "My partner owned a trucking company growing up, so I learned about welding and power tools early." 

From a racing truck worth more than 3/4 of a million dollars to models straight out of Star Wars, Jason's welding projects have helped him turn a passion into a fulfilling career. 

"Welding is an easy trade if you put your mind to it!" he says.

One of his favorite projects to work on was the racing truck in the pictures below. His team built and restored the frame to get it up to professional racing standards! 

Now that Jason has joined the Bomber team, he's happy to find a place where his passion for adventure is part of the company's personality. 

"I love working with the Bomber team," he says. "They're great people, and always a good time!" 

If the picture below is any indication, we think Jason is pretty great, too!