How long have you worked with Matsuura and what does your job entail? I have been with Matsuura for nearly three years. Prior to joining the Matsuura USA family, I was a field service tech for one of our previous distributors. As a Field Service Engineer, it is my responsibility to respond to calls from customers and distributors, to assist in the troubleshooting and repair of major components, and the installation of new machines.
What is unusual or a memorable moment at Matsuura? The most memorable part of my role at Matsuura was during a training course at Matsuura Machinery Japan. I had the opportunity to meet Mr. Matsuura, and when I introduced myself, he already knew my name and my role at Matsuura. This made me realize that Matsuura really does take notice of their employees, even those of their distributors.’ It made me feel a part of something bigger than the “small picture” that we are all focused on.
What is a career lesson you have learned thus far? Expect the unexpected! Just like the saying goes “there’s more than one way to skin a cat,” there is more than one way to make a mistake in a machine. And just when you think you’ve seen them all, there’s an incident that always makes you say “hmm, I haven’t seen that before.” Those are the times that you learn the most. The more obscure something seems to be, the deeper you have to dig. The deeper you dig, the more you learn.
What is your favorite part of your role at Matsuura? My favorite part of my role at Matsuura is seeing where all of the products in our lives come from. We all have friends and family who work in many different industries. It’s awesome to know that most of the people are connected, through the products that our machines and our customers make. Whether its medical tooling or implants, the cars we drive, the airplanes we fly on, the phones we use, or even many of the systems used by our military, all of these “completed puzzles” start as individual components somewhere. Being able to see these products made, and know where the individual components come from, makes me believe in these products that much more.
What would you do (for a career) if you weren’t Matsuura’s Service Engineer? I love being out with my family and having new experiences and adventures. So, I would probably have to say some kind of RV park or family campground where I could provide some of those same experiences for other families.
What do you do when not at Matsuura? When I’m not at Matsuura, you can usually find me running around with my kids. Last year, I started a youth lacrosse program in one of the neighboring towns, so you may find me coaching and refereeing on weekends in the spring and fall. I can also be found working with the local Cub Scout Pack as one of their Den Leaders.
What is a fun fact many people do not know about you? When I was 21, I decided to join the United States Marine Corps. My first year consisted of boot camp, combat training, and then many months of training for my MOS (Military Occupational Specialty). Less than three months after I arrived at my first duty station, I was sitting on plane flying to Afghanistan for a 12 month deployment with a Regimental Combat Team. I returned home to later get injured in an “Off-Duty Tactical Training Exercise” (you should read that as “I broke my leg playing paintball”) which ultimately ended up affecting my chances of reenlistment. It was frustrating at the time, but now I sit back and laugh about it with my wife. Who knows where I could have been if it wasn’t for that “Off-Duty Tactical Training” accident?
Learn more about careers with Matsuura at: www.matsuurausa.com/careers
