Celebrating Five Years with ACE

Three years ago, I wrote a blog reflecting on my experience as a new college graduate at Applied Control Engineering (ACE). The goal was to encourage college seniors to envision themselves at a medium-sized company like ACE instead of a massive Fortune 500 company with flashy perks, like holiday parties at Citizens Bank Park or sponsorships with the Houston Dynamo. I wanted to highlight what truly shapes your career: experience, mentorship, opportunity for growth, work/life balance, self-improvement, culture, job fulfillment, community; these should absolutely be considered far more important than surface-level perks like if the office building has a coffee shop in the lobby. These are things you are unlikely to discover about a company from their web page or giveaways at their career fair booth.

I’d like to think my blog played a small role in attracting the amazing talent we’ve gained over the past few years. ACE has been growing at incredible rates. We have opened two new offices, hired dozens of new graduates (many from my alma mater!), and implemented new tiers of leadership and structure to bolster a larger organization. It has been an exciting time to be a part of a growing ACE and to witness all the new breakthroughs in the field of industrial automation.

I have not been spared from this growth. As a controls engineer, I was eager to understand the bigger picture – how do we get into these projects? How are our customers acquired? How do we keep them? What goes on behind the scenes before these project design requirements are put on my desk for implementation? From speaking with coworkers and mentors I discovered that sales may be the place for me.

Fortunately for me, ACE had come to realize the need for a sales engineer who could handle technical proposals and eventually take on a customer-facing role. As an inside sales engineer, I have worked on opportunities across all our offices, with every technology platform we support, and alongside each tier of management. I loved the challenge of solving a customer’s problem by tracking down the right voices within the company and working with them to develop a solution.

The sales organization trained me in every way from writing proposals to professional communication to navigating delicate customer relationships. These last few years have given me a comprehensive understanding of ACE’s full range of capabilities and helped me become deeply familiar with both our products and our people. After expressing my desire to step out of my comfort zone and join the ranks of the Account Managers who take ownership of building, maintaining, and growing ACE’s customer relationships, I eagerly transitioned into that new role.

This new chapter has been incredibly rewarding, allowing me to dive into business development and explore the vast opportunities in the Houston market and beyond. It’s been especially fulfilling to watch my coworkers grow into leadership roles as part of ACE’s next generation. Friends who once started alongside me are now running offices, managing projects, or directing technical teams of engineers.

Looking back on the past few years, I’m proud to see how both ACE and I have grown. From my initial experience as a new college graduate to now playing a key role in building and nurturing customer relationships, it’s been a journey full of personal and professional growth. ACE’s success and expansion reflect the importance of the values I highlighted in my original blog: mentorship, opportunities for growth, and a supportive work culture. As the company continues to evolve, it’s been inspiring to see colleagues’ step into leadership positions and shape the future of ACE. It’s a reminder that success isn’t just about the perks you see on the surface, it’s about the people, the experiences, and the potential for growth that truly make a career meaningful. I look forward to updating you in the years to come!

See a little more about what it's like to work at ACE on corporate culture page.