Employee Spotlight
After earning a bachelor's degree in Computer Engineering from Clemson University, Sam joined aeSolutions, marking his first role in the Automation Industry.
With a degree in Chemistry from Texas Tech University and a Chemical Engineering degree from Prairie View A&M University, Tchana initially planned to pursue a career in pharmacy. However, his path shifted when Tchana’s older brother, a civil engineer, recommended exploring Chemical Engineering, a decision he considers one of the best he has ever made. This choice eventually led him to join aeSolutions. Outside work, Tchana is a dedicated family man who enjoys staying active, following Houston sports, and traveling.
Wyatt began his journey at aeSolutions with a strong desire to learn and support his coworkers. With a long-standing interest in engineering, Wyatt feels fortunate to assist the accounting team and the engineers driving the company's success. He finds daily work enjoyable and eagerly seeks opportunities to take on more responsibilities. A writer at heart, Wyatt is working on a novel he hopes to complete in the coming years.
Lance previously held multiple Vice President roles at Emerson Automation Solutions and served as Sr. Business Development Director at Hargrove Engineers. He is passionate about building strong client relationships and leading teams to deliver effective solutions. In his free time, Lance enjoys working out, playing golf, and dealing with his Shih Tzu, Forest.
Erich has worked in both the process safety side as a Senior SIS FEL Specialist and his current role in the Automation group. Erich recently became the Fabrication Shop Lead. He started at aeSolutions as an intern and has enjoyed the variety of project work and hopes to continue the career growth opportunities afforded to him. Erich enjoys mentoring local robotics teams, working on cars, playing drums in a band, fishing when he can, and being a dad to his wonderful kids, Zoey and Fritz.
Jon has been the Manager of IT for nine years. Jon joined aeSolutions after graduating from Furman University in 2003. While continuing to work full time, Jon earned a master’s degree from James Madison University in 2008 that focused on information security. In 2015 he earned the Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) certification. Jon enjoys watching movies, going for runs on the Swamp Rabbit Trail, traveling to new places, and spending time being silly with his kids.
Kelvin has worked in chemical plants as an E/I/C engineer for 23 years and then worked for a consulting firm for 4 years. He has experience with Fired Equipment, SIS design, SIS, BMS, FGS, and DCS configuration on all different types of systems. Kelvin was looking for a new opportunity when he found aeSolutions looking for someone with his experience. He has been married for 31 years has 4 kids and 2 grandkids. Kelvin is heavily involved with his church (Sound engineer and production), and he likes to golf, bowl, work on old cars (Rebuild engines and restore), repair old video games (Pac-man, Donkey Kong, etc.), and build new ones (woodworking).
Jeff is currently the fabrication manager of the aeSolutions panel shop. He is an Automation Control Panel Designer along with a UL508a Certified Manufacturers Technical Representative. Jeff is also NICET Certified for Fire Alarm Systems Level 4 and an FM listed Fire and Gas Systems Designer. In addition to all of that, he also holds a commission certificate as a notary public.
Josh was hired as the System Administrator after graduating from Clemson in May 2011. He previously worked at Clemson’s IT helpdesk (CCIT), and he worked for the Geek Squad for a few years. Josh has a 7-year-old son and a 3-year-old daughter that occupy most of his free time. He also coaches his son’s baseball team, which is a lot of fun.
Chery joined aeSolutions as its second employee. Her diverse background in financial and office management and HR offloaded the owners' overhead activities, allowing them to focus on growing the business. After nine years of covering finance and HR, the company hired a controller, and Chery transitioned to HR full time. Her current role is her favorite, with its focuses on employees' development and knowledge sharing. Chery is one of those annoying morning people that leaps out of bed singing before 6 a.m. She enjoys exercising, playing with her border collie, volunteering for various organizations, and visiting homeless shelters with her dog for pet therapy.
Ethan spent a few summers working at a Marathon Petroleum refinery in Canton, Ohio, while completing his chemical engineering degree at Ohio State. After finishing his Master’s program in 2016, Ethan was put in touch with Craig Shell to discuss an opportunity at aeSolutions. Ethan found a lot of overlap with the safety-focused work he had completed at Marathon and was excited at the prospect of working in an office environment rather than in-field work. A few months later, he moved to Greenville to start in the SIS Engineering department! Ethan loves to collect vinyl records – his most prized possession is a copy of Taylor Swift’s “Red” pressed on red vinyl.
Christi joined aeSolutions after working in training and marketing for an EPC, a training consultant, a hospital, and a top-20 accounting firm. In her time at aeSolutions she has supported our BD and marketing efforts and our executive team giving her the ability to build upon her experience as well as develop new skills. Christi enjoys the work and her co-workers! She has 3 grown kids and enjoys going on road trips to see them and she likes to go hiking with her dog Sadie.
Judith joined aeSolutions in 2018 after working for one of the major energy companies in their chemicals division for 34+ years. Her time there encompassed a variety of roles, including maintenance, electrical and project engineering, and process safety. She was one of the earliest persons to earn her CFSE with the company. Judith was a continuous learner, demonstrated by earning her Certified Safety Professional credential during her last role with the company. Before “retirement,” her previous role was as health, safety, security, and environmental manager at a large southeastern chemical plant. Judith’s diverse background made her an excellent fit for aeSolutions. She currently enjoys handling a variety of activities, including PHA facilitation, auditing, technical review, and mentoring of junior staff members. Judith also has a very active civic and personal life, including volunteering with the Red Cross, acting as Chief for the large extended Stewart family in South Carolina, and helping out her family and friends whenever she sees a need. She is also an avid reader in a variety of areas.
Lauren arrived at aeSolutions with design experience in Process Engineering, professional licensure in engineering, and a growing interest in Process and Functional Safety. aeSolutions has given her exposure to Machine Safety as it relates to Functional Safety, which ultimately helped her become a TUV NORD Certified Machinery Safety Expert (CMSE) in 2019. Lauren currently works as a technical lead in the SIS Engineering department. She is a South Carolina native and just welcomed her second child back in July. Lauren is also in her 5th year of serving on the NCEES Chemical PE Exam Development Committee.
Ben fell into HR early in his career by accident but discovered that he loved working to help people have better experiences at their jobs. When he joined aeSolutions in 2013, he focused primarily on supporting the Anchorage office but eventually moved into the HR Manager role and now the HR Director role. He has had the opportunity to work with a fantastic team focused on providing the best work environment possible. Ben has a great deal of respect and admiration for the entire aeSolutions workforce and their unwavering dedication to safety. Before moving to Denver, Ben lived in Alaska for seven years – once, he couldn’t leave the office building in downtown Anchorage because there were too many moose on the sidewalks. True story!
Ken and two partners started aeSolutions 23 years ago in a bonus room when their employer decided to close their Greenville office. By the time they had five employees, they knew they needed to rent an actual office space because the air conditioner could no longer keep up.
Ken remembers how excited they were when they successfully networked the one Dell computer with the one printer. It seems like yesterday from a lifetime ago.
Ken enjoys pretty much anything outdoors, including backpacking, running, and motorcycles.
Engineering is Liena’s second career after being a chemist and a chemistry instructor at a university. She started as an SIS (Safety Instrumented Systems) specialist and worked as both SIS and PSM (Process Safety Management) senior specialist. Liena immigrated to the US from Ukraine, never dreaming that her career would take such a turn, but she loves the challenges and fun that process safety engineering presents. Now, she participates in almost all Safety Lifecycle related projects except installation & commissioning, but maybe one day in the future, that will happen too. She also has the honor and pleasure to be the Board Secretary for the ISA Alaska chapter. She loves to go fishing, hiking, riding snowmobiles, camping, hunting and enjoys relaxing on the couch with a good book.
Jackie started out early by participating in a high school mentorship program for engineering at BP. She then earned her B.S. in Chemical and Biochemical Engineering at Colorado School of Mines. In September of 2016 Jackie moved back to Alaska and started her career with aeSolutions. Jackie completed the DNV GL PHAST Training Course in October 2017 and is currently a scribe for PHA studies.
Rick started his career as a chemist and soon was assigned a large controls project at the age of 25. Rick spent ten years in the plant, eight years at an EPC, where he later shifted from controls to SIS Engineering, and now almost 15 years at aeSolutions. He is a lifelong musician and enthusiast of the great outdoors and a dedicated father and husband.
Sarah was hooked when she sat through her first Process Hazard Analysis as a Process Engineer doing process design. Sarah felt like she had finally found a way to make a difference in her field by helping to protect people and the environment. After joining aeSolutions and working in both the PSM and SISFEL groups, Sarah found her passion for alarm management. She is thankful for a career that allows her to grow professionally and supports a strong family life enabling her to spend time making memories with the ones she cherishes the most.
Kevin has a 34-year background in Electrical and Controls, beginning his career at aeSolutions as a Project Manager in 2009. In 2019, Kevin became a Senior Discipline Leader and continued with the Project Manager role. He currently holds his Professional Engineering License in 11 states!
Greg is Canadian with 25 years of experience in the industry, 17 years as an Instrumentation and Controls Specialist, and 8 years as a Process Safety Specialist. He brought his worldwide industry knowledge to Houston to help influence our younger employees and help the company grow to exciting new levels. Greg is part of the ISA Fire and Gas division standards committee and the wireless standard division. He loves to cook, build things with his hands, and look after his much too needy Pug.
Emily’s degree is in Electrical Engineering from Clemson University. Her first job was as an Instrumentation Engineer at an Oil Refinery in Louisiana, where she was exposed to various technologies &opportunities to problem solve. Her favorite part of that job was working with the safety systems in her units. This led her to a job as an SIS Design Engineer with aeSolutions back in her home state. She has greatly enjoyed learning about the different business lines that aeSolutions offers. She also enjoys getting to be involved with the local ISA Chapter along with many of her coworkers. Emily enjoys hiking, bowling, training my 2-year-old German Shepherd mix Jambalaya, and learning new baking techniques.