Richard Payne, on the right
In May of 2014, Richard Payne came to Eaglestone for an interview. At that time, he was an independent contractor for a company nearby. He didn’t have much experience with building conveyors. But Carmen Sammauro, President of Eaglestone, gave him a call because he saw the possibilities.
10 years later, Richard is the Lead Engineer at Eaglestone, bringing his steady presence and wealth of knowledge to every project. We’re a better company because he’s here.
What’s on the agenda for today? Lots of Tetris.
Richard handles a lot of the equipment platforms that stand inside Eaglestone’s conveyor systems. He might be building staircases, modifying an existing design or making improvements on whatever is needed. “It’s kinda like playing Tetris,” he said. “Avoid drains and the building’s columns while managing to make it all fit.”
“Just about every job is a challenge in some way,” he continued. “Some projects and platforms are so big, they have to be shipped in phases, piece-by-piece, to customers. Seeing the system in motion at their facility is always a rush for us. Sometimes you don’t fully realize the scale of what you built until you see it in action.”
That Eaglestone life
Richard just celebrated his first decade at Eaglestone, and he’s certain why he’s stuck around: the people.
“Favorite part of the job is just working with the team. Really good group here. It’s not just a job; you come here, work hard and make friends,” he said. “Everyone has their skillsets, so you get to learn new things from everyone.”
Richard certainly has his indispensable set of skills as well. He’s a CAD wizard, which comes in handy on a daily basis. “That’s one thing that makes me so valuable here,” he said. “I can make changes quickly while staying within timelines. If you don’t fully know CAD, it can be a struggle. But I know it well, so that work is done quickly and accurately.
The importance of accuracy
The best engineers are technical, detail-oriented and able to solve problems with ease. For Richard, that attention to detail is the best tip he can give to young professionals. “Every time you go too fast, skip a step, forget to read something, it catches you in the end,” he said. “You really have to pay attention at all times and care about doing things right.”
When he’s not knocking projects out at Eaglestone, you can probably find Richard hanging with his family. He and his girlfriend each have a son; one is 16 and the other is 17. “Indoors, outdoors, watching UFC, going down south to the summer home,” he said.
“Overall, I’m just excited for the future. I’m a little older than most of the others here, so this is where I want to be for the long haul. Just knocking the challenging work out with the people I care about.”
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