From Seattle to Las Vegas to New York City, Christian Fuerst has traveled all around the country since joining the AMT team in January 2022. In addition to traveling for work, Christian has had some amazing personal adventures, such as hiking Mount Rainier and ATVing in the Mojave Desert.
After graduating from Oakland University with a degree in health science, Christian was referred to AMT by a friend, current employee Kayla Kolomyski. Engineering Group Leader Jason Markesino and Director of Controls Engineering AJ Kahler interviewed Christian. AJ observed, “Christian was extremely motivated to break into a new industry and start a new career so I told him, ‘If you are ready to learn and willing to work hard, we can turn you into a successful controls engineer.’ ”
Christian was all in and started work early this year as an automation engineer in the services group. Not having prior experience in the industry, he worked diligently through the Automation Academy coursework to learn how to become a successful controls engineer. “When he came on board, Christian went above and beyond to learn controls engineering, not only through AMT’s Automation Academy but also by completing coursework through Rockwell Automation to learn about variable frequency drives (VFD) and electronics,” said AJ.
Since then, Christian has had a variety of responsibilities, from wiring panels and supporting customer automation installs to troubleshooting PLCs and debugging robots. One of the larger projects Christian has worked on is for BW Integrative Systems, where he focused on various palletizing, depalletizing and mass conveying systems. Christian’s work travels have taken him to a variety of client sites, where he has participated in both full startups and improvements of pre-existing systems. AJ said, “The customer has expressed that they LOVE having Christian on the team and cited his work ethic and ability to get along with everyone.”
Christian is extremely motivated in his work at AMT, which has stood out to AJ, “Christian is someone who we would consider a near perfect ‘culture fit’ for our AMT team. He naturally expresses all of AMT’s core values, and effortlessly fits the mold of the ‘Ideal Team Player,’ explained by business author Pat Lencioni as ‘Humble, Hungry, and Emotionally Intelligent.’ ”
The feeling, as they say, is mutual. Christian enjoys the learning and challenges that he has encountered, “My current position has been a wonderful opportunity. I have been able to learn, travel, and apply and test my skills in many different applications in automation engineering.”
Christian grew up in Royal Oak, Michigan, where he still lives today. When not at work, he enjoys lifting weights, hiking, snowboarding, traveling, and watching football. In the past year, Christian has been on the move! He has enjoyed visits to Seattle (and hiked Mt. Rainier), Portland, Oregon, Alabama (for more hiking), New York (Times Square!), and Las Vegas, where he went on an ATV excursion in the Mojave Desert.
When asked what he likes best about working at AMT, Christian said, “I appreciate the true team aspect that our company has. It’s good to know that no matter where I am in the world or what time of day it is, there is always someone who will pick up the phone when I run into a problem.”