Meet Us Monday: Alan Carty
To help you get to know the Automationtechies team a bit better, we will introduce a different member each Monday. Today’s profile is for Alan Carty.
Alan has worked in automation since graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology. Before starting Automationtechies and Automation.com, Alan worked as an Automation Specialist, Automation Sales Engineer, and Operations Manager for a large independent Rockwell-Automation distributor for 11 years. Prior to that, he had worked as a Field Engineer, Plant Engineer, and Systems Programmer.
1) What role do you play at Automationtechies? What do your daily tasks include?
I am the founder and President & CEO. I try to motivate the team, find new clients, and serve as a recruiter for a few clients at a time.
2) What do you do for fun when you’re not working?
I play tournament poker. I play in several tournaments every year in Minnesota and Las Vegas. It’s how I get my adrenaline rush.
3) Tell us a little bit about your family.
I am a divorced father of two wonderful daughters. Melissa and Meghan are in their 20’s now but we still go on vacations together to some cool places. Most recently we went to Peru and saw lots of Incan ruins, including Machu Picchu.
4) If you won the lottery, what would you do with your winnings?
I would use half the money for charitable causes. My focus on giving has been, and will continue to be, St. Jude Children’s Hospital and The Ronald McDonald House. I’d use the rest of my money to travel the world and hopefully find other worthy charitable causes in other places in the world.
5) What is one random or weird fact about you that other people tend to find interesting?
I have never, ever thrown up.
6) What is one piece of advice you’d like to share with job seekers?
Before you begin your job search, think deeply about why you want to change jobs. If what you’re seeking could possibly be found at your current employer try hard to make that happen before interviewing anywhere else. I personally made two extreme career changes while working at the same company. I find that if you are good, your current employer will take chances on you that new employers won’t.
7) What is one piece of advice you’d like to share with employers who are hiring?
Have a great story to tell. If you can’t name multiple reasons why someone would want to work for your company, you must start creating them. Your employees are the best place to find ways to improve the employee experience at your company. They will be far more creative than management. Tap into your employees and let the hidden culture rise up.
