Meet Steve Beck, a senior engineer at Huffman Engineering, Inc.
Tell us a little about your business. – Huffman Engineering, Inc. (www.huffmaneng.com) designs and installs custom engineered control systems for manufacturing and utility customers in Nebraska, Colorado, and surrounding states.
How did you get started in the business? – I followed in my dad’s footsteps. He worked in the control systems engineering field for over 30 years. I also learned computer programming as a kid. After college, I worked for the Omaha Public Power District at the Fort Calhoun Nuclear Power Plant until it closed in 2016. Leaving the nuclear industry was a difficult decision but transitioning to controls engineering felt like a natural choice due to the exposure from my childhood.
What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced professionally? – When I transitioned to a new line of work in 2016, I had an immense amount of self-doubt about my ability to meet expectations in my new role. To overcome that, I set several goals for myself revolving around learning things related to the new job, including becoming a licensed professional engineer, among other training courses.
What has been your most important achievement professionally? – I believe my biggest achievement is the relationships and friendships I’ve built with my customers and coworkers. Sure, I’ve completed several successful projects, but having good relationships with the people I’m working with has certainly made it feel easier to have success in projects, and it makes my job that much more enjoyable.
Tell us a little about your family. – My wife Andrea and I live in the Keystone neighborhood in Omaha and we have two children, Simon (7) and Alex (3). As a family, we enjoy hiking and the outdoors and like to vacation in the mountains of Colorado.
What do you see as one of the biggest turning points in your life? – When I was 17, I had intended to enlist in the Marine Corps after high school. That year, 2001, the events of September 11 brought an immense pool of volunteers to join the military. Shortly after that day, I was involved in a car accident that badly injured my left leg and required an implant to repair. The combination of the implant with the higher-than-normal interest in military enlistment resulted in being unable to enlist in the military. I shifted my focus to applying to colleges.
What is your favorite thing to do on a day off? – I enjoy working on cars. Troubleshooting and repairing problems I feel is like solving a puzzle, and it feels good to see the results when I finish a repair. I also spend a lot of time learning about photography, with lightning as my favorite subject. I also enjoy smoking meat and rock climbing.
What is the most unique or interesting thing about you that most people probably don’t know? – I have a collection of locks and safes and have been teaching lock picking for several years.
Which talent would you most like to have? – I would really like to be able to weld.
If you could choose any other profession to be successful in, what would it be? – Commercial real estate.
What local nonprofit organization(s) are you passionate about or involved with, and are there any special reasons why? – I work with City Impact in Lincoln to improve their Gifts of Love program during the Christmas season. I truly believe in their mission and the methodology behind the program. I also donate money and supplies to the Open Door Mission in Omaha for the important and life-saving work they do for the homeless community in Omaha.
If our readers would like to contact you, how should they do so? – (402) 464-6823; info@huffmaneng.com; www.huffmaneng.com.