Alan Nehemy’s path to the Director of IT, Quality, Health, Safety, and Environment at System Logistics Corporation involved multiple degrees from multiple countries, and work across multiple industries.

After attending engineering school at the University of Sao Paulo, Brazil, Nehemy worked as a consultant for IBM before earning a master’s degree in sustainable engineering at Politecnico di Milano in Italy. He moved to the United States to earn a masters in mechanical engineering from the University of Central Florida before moving to Asheville to work at Innovative Solar Systems.

Working in solar, Nehemy worked in and developed multiple key business functions including operations, finance, IT, sales, and marketing. As the company grew from two to 25 employees in only two years, he felt accomplished and became eager for his next career challenge.

Having met an acquaintance who worked at a local manufacturing company, he was able to get his foot in the door implementing SAP® as well as designing company processes before becoming the company’s IT manager. In addition, he assisted in implementing sustainability initiatives and helped develop new energy models, among other tasks.

With a comprehensive understanding of the company's operations and a well-established network within the organization, Nehemy now oversees an IT team and a Health and Safety leader. He is also responsible for facilities maintenance and expansion projects and has been appointed as the Sustainability Coordinator and Data Protection Coordinator.

“I wake up early in the morning to look at the schedule for the week and for the day because there are always multiple things going on,” Nehemy said. “It helps me get an idea of the structure of my day, visibility of what is going on, and allows me to prioritize and address what needs to be addressed.”

While approaching a multitude of projects, Nehemy said he strives to maintain a certain amount of similarity in the way he approaches everything. By taking a step back from his role, he addresses each project or challenge with a consistent, systemic point of view.

“It’s not about me personally, but it’s about how my role operates to repeatedly achieve the desired results of the company,” Nehemy said.

Nehemy understands that in a corporation, there is a structure of systems and processes. This structure must be documented and evaluated in order to understand the company’s current conditions. Implementing a methodology for how he approaches certain projects, he considers how to get every step executed in a clear and efficient manner while keeping all involved parties on the same page. This allows each step to be completed with a full understanding of the details, and makes it easier for everyone to keep the ball rolling in the right direction.

“My value is more leadership and guidance than actually performing each step,” Nehemy said. “We are part of a multinational conglomerate, and in my role, it’s important to clearly manage communications to make the most of everyone’s time and understanding.”

Balancing multiple projects and overseeing multiple teams requires a significant amount of logistics, but for Nehemy, that part comes easily. His management system allows him to keep multiple projects on task, avoiding getting bogged down by details. By not overthinking or micromanaging, he is able to keep his teams and project contractors moving along efficiently and effectively.

While managing indirect departments in a company that has grown 50% year over year, the challenge Nehemy experiences is growing his team rapidly enough to match the productivity expectations. By implementing systems, coaching his employees, and collaborating with others who support the company’s goals, he is able to leverage his resources to execute the job at hand.

“I don’t have the means to complete all of these tasks myself, but by giving others on my team the tools to perform tasks efficiently and leveraging company-wide collaboration, it makes all of these things feasible.”

Alan Nehemy is the Director of IT, Quality, Health, Safety, and Environment at a local manufacturing facility.