In the Wide World
By John Beattie
Having a chilly but fun time in Chicago. From left: Paula Zangari, Garrod Massey, Myself and Zach Fothergill.
For my first blog post, I wanted to offer my thoughts about attending the Rockwell Automation Fair in Chicago at the end of last month. As I reflected on that trip (and it was a great one), I thought of the networking that went on, both on our team and with customers, vendor reps and others in the industry.
Trade shows are great opportunities to get to know others better, and the Rockwell Automation Fair was no exception. We networked with national reps for some of our vendors. We bumped into a few customers, too. Our team also spent some time with the international Steinhauer team. In each of these examples, our conversations led to a better understanding of what our customers and vendors are facing. We learned to listen and try to think of ways we could help or offer our services for future projects.
I love Chicago; it’s a great city. We were far from home, but in a way, the world of panels felt very small. Our group of four is connected to the larger world of automation. All of us have our jobs to do. As the trip went on, our team asked each other how we could do our jobs better and we strategized creative ways to lead our teams.
In fact, the team building we did was probably the best part of the trip. We really got to know each other better outside of the shop. I work with some very talented people who bring a wide range of skills and abilities to our projects each day. It’s a world in which I am proud to be a part.
John is the Operations Manager for Production at UCEC.
More Stories about the 2015 Rockwell Automation Fair
Editor’s Note: The UCEC Management team attended the Rockwell Automation Fair in Chicago near the end of November. This is the second in a two-part series.