Employee Spotlight: Mike Champney

In this month’s employee spotlight, we caught up with Mike Champney, a Senior Controls Engineer, who says he loves the diversity of projects his work at Elm has to offer.

Q: How long have you been working at Elm?

A: April was 13 years.

Q: What brought you to Elm/how did you get your start here?

A: I’ve been doing automation controls for about 40 years. I’ve worked for companies and worked for myself as well. I was working for the Dennis Group, which was about 90 percent travel, which was getting to be too much, when I heard Elm was looking for an engineer. I had worked with Elm people in previous jobs and I was always impressed with their work. So I sent my resume, and I’m happy to say I was brought on board.

Q: Can you tell us a little about your role at Elm?

A: As one of the Sr. Controls Engineers, my role is an interesting one. Well, to me anyways. Our projects vary from simple conveyors to complex robot installations. I do the electrical design using AutoCAD Electrical to create a set of drawings. I write the programs that run the equipment. Then I will go to the customer to assist in the startup. I also directly support our customers after the installation over the phone, or with remote access. I help to mentor the younger engineers, and I’m one of the CAD administrators, which involves training and helping with CAD issues.

Q: What are some of the things you enjoy most about working at Elm?

A: Not knowing what’s next. Our customers are in every field imaginable. I’m currently working on three projects. One is using a robot to move a hose to spray a part with media. One is controlling a wastewater system for a company that makes glass lenses, and one is using anaerobic digesters to turn manure into methane, which is output to gas lines. You can’t get bored with that kind of diversity.

Q: What has been one of your most rewarding experiences at Elm?

A: I consider myself very lucky. I have a job that I love to do. When I complete a project, and I get to see my efforts actually working, it’s amazing to me, and I get to do this over and over.

Q: What do you like to do when you’re not working?

A: I love spending time with my wife and our dog. We enjoy kayaking and cruising around on my motorcycle.

Q: Do you have a particular hobby or talent that co-workers may not know about?

A: Well, since I’ve been a nerd my whole life, I still love video games, and I like to read.