Employee Spotlight – Sidney Key

Sidney Key is a project engineer in the Nexus PMG Greenville office.  Through a college co-op opportunity in a manufacturing facility, Sidney realized how much he enjoyed problem solving. Though this discovery was rewarding, he also realized that in a manufacturing engineering position he didn’t feel as though he was making a difference. He did not want to be a neutral bystander or just part of the process. With this realization, he started attending job fairs searching for a company that aligned with his vision. There he discovered Nexus PMG and could tell immediately that employees there were personally invested in their work. Sidney saw the difference between companies that were clearly animated and passionate about what they do and those that were just going through the motions of appearing at job fairs. He still had two classes left before graduating, so Nexus PMG offered him a flexible position allowing him time to complete his studies. After graduation Sidney migrated to a full-time position.

In his role as project engineer, Sidney is excited about bridging the gap between the engineering world and the nonscientific community. He enjoys interpreting technical writing for different parts of a project. Here he utilizes his skillset by absorbing information, applying this information to projects, and conveying that information to others. He says that a requisite of this job, especially as a young engineer, is being open to learning at all times. You must be nimble and able to apply yourself in whatever situation arises. He finds it rewarding learning new things and exciting gaining confidence in his newfound abilities. He strongly believes working for Nexus PMG allows him to learn on the job, which will make him a more capable and confident engineer.

“At Nexus you are certainly exposed to the full breadth of engineering. For example, I’ve been able to work on a biomass powerplant project that has really allowed me to expand my niche.”

Sidney has also discovered there is a learning curve in searching for his lifelong focus. He appreciates Nexus PMG for allowing him to be dynamic and work on a variety of projects. He says, “At Nexus you are certainly exposed to the full breadth of engineering. For example, I’ve been able to work on a biomass powerplant project that has really allowed me to expand my niche.” He also mentions when he personally took on transitioning the AutoCAD based P&ID system Nexus PMG was using and allowing for better connectivity between engineers and deliverables. He admits this may not sound like the most exciting project he’s worked on, but it taught him that just because something has always been done a certain way, it doesn’t mean that’s the best or most efficient way. You should never be afraid facilitating change.

Sidney especially enjoys working in an environment where his input not only matters but has the ability to impact the actual structure of a project. He knows that his thoughts, ideas and contributions are always welcomed. He says, “That’s something you certainly hope will happen in your first fulltime position, but it’s more of a dream than an expectation.” It’s typically a hope for young engineers that their ideas will be heard, so it has been a valuable experience working in an environment that exceeds that hope.

In his personal time, Sidney loves being outdoors. This motivates him to help convert the industries that Nexus PMG supports into a vision that can coexist with a healthy environment. He also enjoys reading almost any genre, though lately he’s been interested in topics that relate to his work at Nexus. He says, “As each day goes on more and more people realize how critical our environment’s health is to ours, and how it is necessary to have more environmentally responsible procedures established.” Sidney is excited to continue evolving as an engineer with Nexus PMG and witness the acceleration of the adoption of green initiatives over the next few years.

Taylor Rivers
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