About Us
IDIYA is a makerspace, workshop and design studio that provides members access to education, tools, and a creative community in the interest of fostering innovation in fabricators, hobbyists, artists, entrepreneurs and DIY’ers. IDIYA features the latest in professional grade advanced manufacturing and prototyping equipment accessible by becoming a member. Our climate controlled facility is home to a wide variety of machinery and tools. Our current equipment includes CNC Milling, Lathes, Drill Presses, Band Saws, Hand Tools, Electronics Station, Soldering, 3D Printers, 3D Scanners, Full Body 3D Scanner, Laser Cutters/Etchers, Vinyl Cutter/Plotter, T-Shirt Screen Printing, Garment/Fabric Printer, computers, Design Software and more. Our news expansion of the wood shop include a variety of woodworking equipment including a Sawstop Tablesaw, Planner, Chop Saw, Router Table, and more! In addition to the physical equipment, we also provide classes and training needed to operate the equipment properly and safely. Our goal is to provide you with the equipment, education and workspace needed to help transform your idea into reality.
IDIYA – Be A Part of The Maker Movement
The maker movement represents a technology-based extension of the do-it-yourself (DIY) culture. Makers are driven towards developing new pursuits in both engineering and the arts through unique applications of technologies. Makers are shortening the path from idea to realities, and eventually entrepreneurship, by creatively combining traditional and modern tools with community collaboration. IDIYA helps facilitate this movement by providing a place where members of our community come together to share ideas, tools, and skill-sets.
IDIYA -Team Members
Domenic Giunta
Chief Executive Officer
Domenic is an active member of the maker community with background in carpentry, construction, and auto repair. His passions include auto racing and restoration. He is an active member of the Swamp Shack Maniacs, 24 hours of Lemons race team and you can see every year at the Monster Jam racing his #13 Punisher Demolition Racer. Domenic has strong experience in Business Development supported by his professional career and education earning a BS in Marketing from the University of South Florida along with an MBA from Louisiana State University.
Maker Essential: Duct-tape
Jenae Crain
President
A Louisiana native, Jenae pursued her education at both LSU and Miami International University. Equipped with training in Marketing, Sales and Creative Direction, Jenae smoothly transitioned into a Marketing career earning a title of Marketing Director within the first year post-graduation. When Jenae’s homesickness finally got the best of her, she trenched home back to New Orleans where she again worked as Marketing Director and in Business Development. Throughout her career, Jenae has worn many hats. With her talents and mad multitasking skills, overall business operations became a consistent role. In 2012, Jenae set out on her own as a Business and Marketing Consultant where she works with startups and existing businesses in areas of Branding, Business Consulting and Marketing Strategy with a goal to transform ideas into solutions. Jenae is a Creative Problem Solver – an IDIYA person. She states that Creativity should be a model for business since all great thinkers push boundaries beyond the established norms.
Maker Essential: Glue
Joe Cantu
Shop Manager
Joe is an active member of the Maker Movement, wherever he goes. A Houston native, he went to college in Muncie, Indiana, and recently rubbed elbows with makers in York, Pennsylvania. Now this traveler has found his way to New Orleans with a renewed zeal for making. He is a student of carpentry, architecture, electronics, videography, printing(in 2D and 3D), graphic-design, robotics, CNC milling, machining, marketing, manufacturing, engineering, prototyping, and life itself. His experiences include building and maintaining space vehicle mock-ups at the Johnson Space Center, a B.A. in Video Production (with minors in Graphic Arts Technology, Entrepreneurship, and Computer Science) as well as time with the Fab-Lab at Ball State University, assisting with the establishment of the Working Class Makerspace in York, PA, and participating in two FIRST Robotics teams as well as a MATE Robotics team, and other industrial sojourns along the way. He is an avid cyclist, musician, lighting guy, and of course a tinkerer.
Maker Essential: Saw
Jim McKenna
Operations Manager
Originally from New Hampshire, Jim McKenna graduated from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute with degrees in Mechanical Engineering and ‘Product, Design, and Innovation’. He has worked on projects in Copenhagen, Denmark and Nairobi, Kenya before moving to New Orleans and working as a Plant Engineer with a chemical company. Outside of work, Jim spends much of his time enjoying New Orleans culinary awesomeness, biking, and traveling the world as much as possible. Bringing ideas to life and ultimately into viable businesses he has and continues to incorporate into his long term goals.
Maker Essential: Drill
Andrew Winstead
Director of Education
Andrew Winstead grew up in Fort Smith Arkansas where he was active in Boy Scouts becoming an Eagle Scout at the age of 15. Influenced by one of his high school teachers he pursued a career in education while attending the University of Arkansas. Andrew graduated in 2009 with a degree in Physics and again in 2010 with a Master of Arts in Teaching. He taught his first three years in El Dorado, Arkansas and it was during this time that he discovered his educational niche. Andrew had the opportunity to attend a robotics workshop sponsored by NASA and organized through Louisiana Tech University. He quickly became addicted to coding and technology implementation in the classroom. He has taught robotics with the Arduino development platform to over 300 students, along with AP Computer Science and several traditional math and science courses. He was a member of the pilot class for Operation Spark, and attended computer science training through Project Lead the Way. Andrew currently runs his own Makerspace at Sci High in New Orleans, where he has seen great success with igniting a passion for hands-on learning among his students.
Maker Essential: Arduino