Meet Ben Hinsley, a Mechanical Engineer at Huffman Engineering, Inc. (huffmaneng.com)
Tell us a little about your business. – Huffman Engineering (HEI) is a system integrator that provides Controls and Automation services to highly regulated industries such as pharmaceuticals and utilities like water and wastewater. Our main focus is to assist companies by programming new processes to help make their systems operate more efficiently.
How did you get started in the business? – I was brought into Huffman Engineering, Inc. (HEI) by my friend Alex Flamme. She highlighted the small business atmosphere and how well everyone in the company got along and worked together as a team.
What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced professionally? – The biggest challenge I’ve faced was having to change my daily routine from school life to work. Gone were my days only spending three-four hours in a classroom learning. I now had to use that knowledge to focus on problem solving issues from customers and passing that experience off to the next generation.
What do you see as one of the biggest turning points in your life? – The biggest turning point in my life would be my first day of college. It was the first time that I wasn’t relying on my parents’ protection and guidance. I had to start experiencing life for myself and I realized that the world is a lot more expensive than a teen would know.
What is your favorite thing to do on a day off? – I like to spend my time in the garage working to restore my 1986 Ford Mustang. When I’m not looking to get my hands dirty, I will pass the time reading novels, my favorite genres being Historical Fiction and Mystery.
If you could choose only one descriptive word to be remembered as, what would it be? – One word I would use to describe myself would be observant. If I have the time, I like to spend it looking at the finer details and patterns making sure that no information is overlooked.
What is your greatest talent that you don’t utilize in your daily work life? – My greatest talent that I rarely get to use is that I’m a pretty good sketcher. A small part of my career is to assist our drafting team with designing layouts for control panels. I use that as an opportunity to sketch a layout of what I believe would work best for the project as well as staying involved with the revisions before the panel is built.
Which talent would you most like to have? – One talent I would love to have would be to play guitar. I love listening to the guitar solos in classic rock songs and dream of having that ability to shred like those legends.
If you could choose any other profession to be successful in, what would it be? – Another profession I would love to be a successful in would be an Artist. I always wanted to express my creativity to others, but also use it in a way that seems functional and can still help solve problems people face through their everyday lives.
What is your favorite local Omaha restaurant? – My favorite restaurant would have to be Mama’s Pizza. Especially the one off Saddle Creek. My family has been going there ever since I was a kid. They have delicious pizza and the best onion rings in town (in my opinion).
If our readers would like to contact you, how should they do so? – bhinsley@huffmaneng.com | (402) 464-6823