First name: Chris
Time at EDAG / year hired: 2020
Title: Project Coordinator
I came across a job posting for a Mechanical Engineering Intern at the beginning of my last semester at Wayne State University. Fortunately, I was hired by the Engineering Manager very soon after my interview and was able to work in the office with everyone for around a month before the pandemic forced us to work from home for a long time. Initially, I was drawn to engineering through my interest in airplanes, military jets in particular. There is a place called the Air Zoo in my hometown of Kalamazoo, Michigan which has a real SR-71 and some other cool planes from throughout history. I originally planned to pursue a degree in Aerospace Engineering but ended up sticking with Mechanical Engineering to keep my options open and learn about other potential career paths. Although, towards the end of university in the Motor City, I developed a stronger interest in the automotive industry and happily ended up staying at EDAG Group.
Even from my first day in the office as an intern I could tell that the people who worked here were incredibly supportive and passionate about automotive engineering. Since then, being able to work alongside my current co-workers everyday has been an absolute privilege. Also, the EDAG Group has given me the opportunity to experience a variety of departments in the automotive industry. In just three years I’ve been able to work on vehicle interiors, conduct interoperability test drives with a prototype electric vehicle around the US, and lead a full vehicle development project from the Electrical Engineering side. These are just a handful of the projects I’ve been involved in so far. Throughout my journey management members have rewarded my ambition with increased project responsibility. It’s great to be in an environment where your superiors not only encourage you to take those next steps in your career but support you in doing so.
No workday is ever the same, there’s always something different – which I love. Usually though, my day starts early with some time for myself to align tasks that I and other department members are responsible for. Then I usually have at least one or two morning meetings with colleagues who aren’t in our office, mostly from Germany. Because of the 5–6-hour time shift, I find it’s best to make myself available early to communicate with them. Afterwards I will either catch up with other colleagues in the Troy office and focus on helping them with their tasks or coordinate with other departments where input is needed. Eventually, I get a block of time around midday to work through my own daily tasks once everyone else is set up and on track. Typically, this process includes going through documents like Statements of Work for upcoming projects or reviewing presentations on deliverable status. Finally, there will frequently be client calls or internal meetings later in the day to close things out.
Although I primarily work in-person at EDAG Group’s North American headquarters in Troy, sometimes the work that I do will require me to be out in the field. This aspect of my job is what makes so many days look drastically different compared to my typical every day in the office. For example, most recently I have been visiting Phoenix to lead testing for a client. Although, this type of field work really depends on what’s happening with what projects I am currently working on at the time!
Most of my free time outside the office is spent in the gym, powerlifting is my main hobby. This doesn’t leave much time for much else during the week, but I love it so I can’t complain. The rest of my free time is divided amongst listening to music, hanging out with friends, and playing video games and drop-in hockey.