By Ashley Reyes
The SEMA Future Leaders Network (FLN) has named
Clark Brumet--engineering manager, New Product Development at WARN Industries--as the network's newest spotlight member.
Get to know Brumet in his interview with SEMA News below.
SEMA News: What is the best advice you have ever received?
Clark Brumet: My uncle was a journeyman welder. When I was a freshman in high school, he stayed with my family for a few months while he worked a job in the area. By this time in my life, I knew I wanted to be an engineer, but I hadn't yet solidified my path.
My uncle constantly told me that if I wanted to be an engineer, I had to be an engineer who "knew what I was talking about." He would tell me stories about the engineers who obviously had degrees but would lack the typical common sense of somebody who was familiar with the trades. He insisted that I develop a mechanical background before becoming an engineer.
I followed his advice and think it was a significant contributor to my success today. I worked as a bowling alley mechanic in high school, worked as a tow kit installer through college and started my career after college as a manufacturing technician assembling automation equipment. My hands-on experience and familiarity working on the floor has always been something I am proud of. I think that experience has contributed to my success as a leader as well.
SN: What keeps you in the industry?
CB: I've been in the industry for 10 years. No project has ever been the same during that time. The number of problems to solve, things to learn and implement and the opportunities for improvement are numerous. It also helps that the team of people I work with makes every day an enjoyable and fun experience.
SN: Where can you be found on a Saturday?
CB: My Saturday activities are seasonal. In the winter, I usually find a project to work on in the shop. Most of the time, that is some sort of amateur woodworking project. In the spring and summer, I'm usually working in the yard or hanging out in the kiddy pool. Fall is college football and tailgating; my family takes the travel trailer to every Oregon State Football game.
SN: How do you prepare for an important meeting?
CB: For important meetings, it's always critical to prepare accordingly. That being said, I try my best not to over-prepare and burn out. Some of the best ideas and interactions are spontaneous, so I leave some gaps and opportunities for organic communication.
SN: If you could go to lunch with one industry leader, living or dead, who would it be?
CB: I would want to have lunch with Elon Musk for the simple fact that it would probably be a pretty interesting lunch. As much as I love the automotive industry, I think it's important that we keep awareness of how our industry interconnects with others. Musk has been successful bridging some of those interconnections and I would love to be able to discuss that in a bit more detail.
Fill out an FLN member spotlight form to be eligible to be featured on FLN's social media, SEMA News and FLN member updates.