Employee Spotlight: Sutherland McKelvey

We recently sat down with sales engineer Sutherland McKelvey to get to know a little more about him, and his experience at Olsträd Engineering so far.

What is your background in engineering?

“I was part of a 5 year degree program in Mechanical Engineering at The University of Akron, but wound up taking some exploratory courses in sales and entrepreneurship. That’s how I ended up with a minor in professional selling.

I had some experience with both combustion and automation, but only in classroom settings and projects. I took thermodynamics courses but that primarily focused on combustion in automotive and aerodynamics applications.

My first experience with automation was designing a replicable process for home shoe building. This project was aimed to help people with CLOVES syndrome who have vascular anomalies and abnormal extremities in their feet design custom shoes that fit their needs without having to pay more than necessary. This was a personal project for me because my Nephew, Abraham, has CLOVES. The project resulted in a “how to”that is a free resource online. I still have plans to introduce genuine automation to this project with the knowledge I am learning from our great team here at Olstrad.”

What’s been your biggest challenge so far?

“What we’re selling is incredibly technical and there’s no one solution for anything. You’re working very closely with the engineering team. The biggest challenge for me is knowing the right questions to ask to get the right information for our team.

Learning the industry has been tough. It’s also been tough learning how to recognize what customers actually need and not just what they think they need. Coordinating a customer’s info with an engineering team can be a struggle. Only about a month ago did I really start to feel like I had reached a new peak in my journey. Its been six months and I’m just starting to feel confident, it’s a constant learning process.”

What’s been your favorite part of working at Olsträd?

“You have to have good company culture. I had interviewed other places but only Olsträd felt like a place that resonated with me. I love working with my team; when you know you’re going to have fun in a positive environment you can go to work with a smile on your face every day. I don’t know any other company where I could have a coffee sit-down with the owner of the company and pick his brain. Even the interns inspire me; they’re all talented and have great ideas. They’re being nurtured here in a way that I think will maximize their potential. I’m a big D&D nerd, and there are others on our team so I feel some camaraderie there, too.”

What are you most proud of so far?

“I’m most proud of getting opportunities from cold calls. It’s hard to say, really; I’m still learning. I take everything in stride and just do my best. I want to be a valued member of the team here, and I feel like I’m seeing that come together.

I want to keep building relationships with our customers, too. Sales has a sort of grimy stigma, and I want people to know we’re a values based, people-first company. I want people to know we’re a resource, and that we value their input and their concerns. I don’t want to just be a salesperson, but an advocate, too. Safe, ethical, and helpful; that’s how I want people to think of Olsträd.”