Meet Team Member Brad Mentink.

Brad has been with Energenecs since 2012 as the Operations Manager. We asked him about his experiences and role at Energenecs.

How would you describe an Operations Manager at Energenecs?

A big part of my job right now is project management. Other responsibilities of this position are to make sure all the different aspects of the team are working together, communicating, coordinating schedules, and helping to define priorities. I make sure that the customer is taken care of through the various aspects of our projects. Whether that be the contractors we are working with, the end customers or the engineers, Our team strives to maintain good communication and customer relations. I feel an important part of my role here at Energenecs is really to just help out where ever needed, whether that is helping with designs, shop assembly / testing, on-site startups, etc.

I also make sure everyone internally in Energenecs is working together, and is on the same page. I primarily work with the controls team, though I also work with the process team as well because there is so much interaction between the two, since some of our process projects have controls with them. I also work with some of the aftermarket group, and service team as well, helping out where I can. I see it as one Energenecs team, where we all work together.

How did you get into controls?

I was approached with an opportunity to get more involved with controls at DeTroye Electric. They had not done much with programmable logic controllers (PLCs) , so I took some night classes, and played a lot on my own time trying to learn.

I eventually got more comfortable with it and was able to do some controls and automation projects. At one point we were a little slow and Ken Tebeest, the owner of Best Systems, was looking for some help building panels, so I was subcontracted with them to help wire some panels, I had an opportunity to join Best Systems as a partner. Two years later Best Systems merged with Energenecs. So I’ve been in controls for the past 20-22 years, and specifically in water and wastewater for the past ten.

What do you do when you are not working?

I really enjoy woodworking, it’s a hobby I’ve been doing since high school. After many years, I have acquired quite a few tools. I have built a few pieces of furniture like end tables and dressers, jewelry and music boxes, kids toys, basically anything my wife and daughters dream up. I must admit, I have been able to dream up a few things myself to build. I have even built custom cabinets for our kitchen and bathrooms. This past winter my wife and I made a few different Christmas crafts to give away.

Another hobby I have is cycling. A couple of years ago I got into road bikes. I spend a lot of time throughout the year on my bicycle. I ride with a group of guys from the Oostburg area, the Lakeshore Loopers. We ride a couple of times a week. Our ride average is between 20 to 40 miles per ride and we average about 18 – 20 miles per hour, it’s not a leisurely ride! [laughs]. Last year I put about 5,000 miles on my bike!